Merck Millipore Presents Annual Award for Advancement of Women in Microbiology

Merck Millipore Congratulates Nancy Hopkins, Ph.D. as Recipient of 2015 Alice C. Evans Award

03-Jun-2015 - Germany

Merck Millipore announced that Nancy Hopkins, Ph.D., Amgen, Inc. Professor of Biology (emerita), Biology Department and Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is the recipient of the 2015 Merck Millipore Alice C. Evans Award for Leadership in Clinical microbiology. The award was established by the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology and given in honor of Alice C. Evans, the first woman elected ASM President in 1928. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions toward the advancement of women in microbiology.

Dr. Hopkins is best known for her work on replication of RNA tumor viruses, which led to the development of a system for insertional mutation in zebrafish. For this work, which dramatically changed our understanding of early vertebrate development, Dr. Hopkins was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Hopkins is also known for launching a national debate on gender equality in the sciences, particularly on the status of women faculty in universities throughout the United States.

"I am deeply honored to receive the Alice C. Evans Award," said Dr. Hopkins. "I am humbled to be included in a list comprised of so many of my heroes - both for their scientific contributions and their advocacy for women in science. As a student, I was privileged to participate in the early years of the molecular biology revolution and to work with many of the founders of the field. I felt protected as a student, and I am grateful for that. Later in my career, though privileged to have a great job, I learned firsthand that women were not operating on a level playing field in science. I saw that many women were treated unfairly. It was difficult to see exceptional scientists under-valued for their work. Then in 1994, women faculty in science at MIT joined forces with the MIT administration to address the problem. The result was beyond anything we could have hoped for. Today, we are so much closer to a world where women scientists can focus on advancing science and not addressing gender inequality. There is nothing better than a life in science when you can participate fully and equally at the highest levels."

The award was presented on May 31 by Dr. Timothy Donohue, ASM president and Dr. Ned Ruby, chair of the ASM Committee on Awards, at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

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