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3.02.2006 ET
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From Pasadena to Mexico City 20 of World's Top Women Scientists Honored in Paris for Groundbreaking Research in Life Sciences
Caltech biology professor receives 2006 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO $100K prize for North America; only prize that honors eminent women scientists at the international level
(CSRwire) Paris - Today at UNESCO House in Paris, France, Sir Lindsay
Owen-Jones, Chairman and CEO of L'ORÉAL, and Koïchiro Matsuura,
Director-General of UNESCO, presented the prestigous 2006 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO
For Women in Science prize to five distinguished women scientists from
North America, Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. Considered
the "Nobel Prize" for Women in Science, the awards honor female scientists
who are leaders in their fields. The 2006 L'ORÉAL UNESCO For Women in
Science Laureates' have a combined 140 years of research experience that
has major implications for global public health. This year's Laureates
include :
Professor Pamela BJORKMAN (USA), Laureate for North America, "For her
discovery of how the immune system recognizes targets". Biology, Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology (Caltech),
Pasadena. Bjorkman is being honored for her lifetime commitment to
decoding protein structures, one of the seminal accomplishments in
immunology and a major step toward new HIV therapies.
Professor Esther OROZCO (Mexico), Laureate for Latin America, "For
her discovery of the mechanism and control of infections by amoebae in the
tropics". Molecular Pathology, Experimental Pathology Department, Center
for Advanced Research (CINVESTAV), National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico
City. Orozco's research discoveries have paved the way for the future
development of a vaccine against Entamoeba histolytica, a parasite that
infects more than 10% of the world's population.
Professor Habiba BOUHAMED CHAABOUNI (Tunisia), Laureate for Africa,
"For her contribution to the analysis and prevention of hereditary
disorders". Medical Genetics, University of Tunis. Chaabouni has fought
for over 20 years to get medical gentics recognized as an essential
discipline in Tunisia, a country with a high prevelance of genetic
disorders and one of the world's highest rates of consanguineous marriage.
Professor Christine VAN BROECKHOVEN (Belgium), Laureate for Europe,
"For her genetic investigations of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative
disorders". Molecular biology and genetics, University of Antwerp,
Research Director at the Institute Born-Bunge, Scientific Director of the
Department of Molecular Genetics, Interuniversity Institute for
Biotechnology, Flanders. Van Broeckhoven is among the first to study the
molecular genetics of neurological diseases and is considered the world
authority on Alzheimer's.
Professor Jennifer GRAVES (Australia), Laureate for Asia/Pacific,
"For her study on the evolution of mammalian genomes". Head of Comparative
Genomics Research Group and ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genomics, Australian
National University, Canberra. A former Fulbight scholar, Graves received
her PhD in molecular biology from the University of California at Berkeley.
Her research into comparative genomics (comparing Australian animals to
humans) - demonstrates that the Y chromosome will be extinct in male
platypuses in 10 million years. She has garnered worldwide attention for
the bleak future she has predicted for the Y chromosome in humans.
The Laureates were selected by a jury of 15 eminent international
scientists, presided over by Nobel Laureate Professor Gunter Blobel, from
Rockefeller University, and Christian de Duve (formerly from Rockefeller
University) of the Institute of Cellular Pathology in Belgium. Laureates
are nominated by hundreds of respected scientists from around the world.
The Awards recognize five Laureates, one from each of the five continents:
Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Each
Laureate receives USD$100,000.
"L'ORÉAL's' commitment alongside UNESCO in the For Women in Science
partnership is a concrete expression of our firm intention to promote
women in scientific research," said Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Chairman and
CEO of L'ORÉAL. "Innovation is a core value that has been nurtured since
the Group's founding and we want to participate in the creation of new
careers throughout the world."
The L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Award is part of the L'ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in
Science program, a multi dimensional program consisting of three parts:
The L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards, the founding act of the program. These
prestigious annual distinctions, awarded to five leading women
researchers, one per continent, identify exceptional women as role models
for the generations to come. Women in the life sciences and the material
sciences are honored in alternating years.
The L'ORÉAL-UNESCO International Fellowships, granted annually since
2000 to 15 promising young women scientists, doctorate or post-doctorate,
to encourage international scientific cooperation and the developing of
cross-cultural networks. Fellows submit their postgraduate research
projects to their country's UNESCO National Commission for consideration.
Each national commission chooses two candidates, who are then judged by an
international selection committee. Three recipients are named per region:
Africa, Arab States, Asia/Pacific, Europe/North America and Latin
America/Caribbean. The beneficiaries of the 2006 Fellowships can be found
at www.forwomeninscience.com
The L'ORÉAL National Fellowships with the support of the UNESCO
National Commissions, which anchor the "For Women in Science" program in
countries around the world, while respecting their particularities and
specific needs. Every year, nearly sixty fellowships are allocated in some
twenty countries.
Since the For Women in Science program's inception in 1998, 132 women from
60 countries have been recognized as either Laureates or Fellows for their
contributions to scientific progress. The For Women in Science program
works to encourage women scientists to persevere under sometimes
challenging circumstances, such as social stigmas and gender biases. By
giving women in science a public face, the program seeks to provide the
next generation of women scientists with inspirational role models.
"The commitment of a group such as L'ORÉAL alongside an organization like
UNESCO is a perfect example of the sort of partnership which we can engage
in with the private sector," said Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of
UNESCO.
To commemorate UNESCO's 60th anniversary L'ORÉAL and UNESCO awarded a
special tribute to Professor Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, 1995 Nobel
Prize in Medicine, "For her efforts in supporting highly qualified women
with children to facilitate their progress in science". The Tribute was
accompanied by a $100,000 donation to the Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Foundation.
Nüsslein-Volhard created the foundation in 2003 to alleviate the
difficulties that women face in reconciling family life and research.
Through the foundation, she hopes to make a contribution to the
advancement of highly qualified women in leading scientific research
institutions. She is currently the Director of Genetics at the Max Planck
Institute in Tübingen, Germany.
For more information on the Laureates, the L'ORÉAL-UNESCO partnership, or
the Tribute for UNESCO's 60th anniversary, please visit: www.forwomeninscience.com
ABOUT L'ORÉAL
L'ORÉAL is a worldwide leader in the cosmetics industry, developing
innovative products to meet the diverse needs of customers in 130
countries worldwide. Over 3,100 people work in the Group's 14 research
centers, located in France, Asia and America. Their findings are
responsible for the registration of hundreds of patents annually. Women
represent 55% of the research workforce - a percentage unmatched anywhere
else in the industry. www.loreal.com
ABOUT UNESCO
Since its creation in 1945, UNESCO has been dedicated to eliminating all
forms of discrimination and promoting equality between men and women.
While designing scientific education programs intended especially for
young women, UNESCO has created several academic chairs that connect women
of science around the world. The international report on science,
technology and gender that UNESCO will shortly publish is intended help
its 191 Member States develop appropriate policies in this area. www.unesco.org/science/women
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