The L'OREAL-UNESCO "For Women in Science" Awards - Dedicated to Improving the Position of Women in Science
MONTREAL, Feb. 27 /CNW Telbec/ - The L'OREAL-UNESCO program FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE today honored twenty women scientists from all corners of the globe.
The Awards, presented by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of L'OREAL, Lindsay Owen-Jones, and Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, recognized five Laureates working in the field of Material Sciences in addition to fifteen Fellows in the Life Sciences at a ceremony held at UNESCO's Paris Headquarters. This year's Awards bring to 71 the number of women, from 45 countries, who have been honored by the program.
The L'OREAL-UNESCO FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE program aims to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress (L'OREAL-UNESCO Awards of $100,000 each), and young women scientists engaged in exemplary and promising projects (UNESCO-L'OREAL Fellowships of $20,000 each).
The L'OREAL-UNESCO Award distinguishes five remarkable women researchers representing the five continents: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America. Often, these women's exceptional careers have opened up new and revolutionary ways of improving conditions of life and well being.
Professor Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Nobel Prize in Physics 1991, presided over an international jury of ten eminent scientists. ("see list of 2003 Award Laureates below"). Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Lindsay Owen-Jones said: "The discoveries that you make push forward the boundaries of science. You are emblems who are a great source of hope; attracting new young women to your fields of research and inspiring a great calling that ensures the future of science." Koichiro Matsuura added: "You are the role models for today's young girls, opening a door to freedom and adventure that has been forbidden them for too long. In today's knowledge societies, women must contribute to scientific research, and mark it with their vision of the world and its development." The expansion of the Awards to include the discipline of the Material Sciences, coupled with a significant increase in their monetary value, demonstrates the commitment of the Award partners to ensure that the L'OREAL- UNESCO FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE program finds its place alongside the world's leading international awards programs.
The UNESCO-L'OREAL Fellowships encourage young women scientists to pursue their research projects in the laboratory of their choice. This year, fifteen women from five regions were rewarded. By fostering young researchers and their hopes, the FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE program works to reinforce the vocation of women in scientific disciplines. Since the creation of the Fellowships in 2000, the program has distinguished a total of 45 young scientists. ("see list of 2003 Fellows below")
LOCAL INITIATIVES The annual international Award ceremony is the highlight of an increasingly full program of local initiatives being organized worldwide; including in Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Italy, Republic of Korea, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom. These initiatives ensure that women in science benefit even further from the partnership forged between L'OREAL and UNESCO.
In Canada a national program called "Mentorship for Science" is being developed jointly between L'Oréal Canada, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and Actua, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the scientific and technical literacy of young Canadians. This mentorship program, which is set to be launched later this spring, will partner leading women scientists, such as the FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE laureates, with young Canadian girls in order to stimulate and encourage these young girls to pursue careers in science.
Note to Editors:
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Life Sciences and Material Sciences both contribute to the scientific success of L'OREAL. In twelve research centers in France, Asia and America, more than 2,700 scientists are responsible for the registration of hundreds of patents annually. 55% of these scientists are women - a percentage unmatched elsewhere in the industry.
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L'OREAL is the world's number one cosmetics company, present in 140 countries. For more details, visit www.loreal.com - UNESCO is an intergovernmental organisation. It currently has 188 Member States. The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science, culture and communication.
THE 2003 AWARD LAUREATES
Karimat EL-SAYED (Egypt), Professor of Solid State Physics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, has specialized in the detection of impurities in materials relevant to industrial metallurgy and semi-conducting materials.
Fang-Hua LI (China), Professor, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, is a specialist of electron microscopy. Her work has pushed back the limits of observation of crystalline structures through the elimination of interference.
Ayse ERZAN (Turkey), Professor of Physics, Istanbul Technical University, has used the concepts of fractal geometry to study the collective phenomena of percolation, in which the interactions of simple constituents translate to behavior at large scale or over long periods.
Mariana WEISSMANN (Argentina), Senior Researcher, Argentine National Research Council, Buenos Aires, has helped to move our understanding of quantum solids from a qualitative view to quantitative predictions. She has also been a pioneer in the use of computers to study the properties of solids.
Johanna M. H. LEVELT SENGERS (USA), Scientist Emeritus, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, has contributed to a better definition of water and steam properties for scientific applications. Her work has aided industry in its search for cleaner and safer ways to dispose of hazardous and toxic waste.
THE 2003 FELLOWS
Africa Côte d'Ivoire: Ahou Edwige SIRANSY - Physiology Nigeria: Sodangi Abdulkarim LUKA GESINDE - Parasitology South Africa: Karin JACOBS - Mycology
Arab States Palestinian Authority: Mary George KAILEH - Molecular Biology Syria: Darie ALIKAJ -Virology Tunisia: Samia REJIBA - Molecular Biology
Asia-Pacific Australia: Devi STUART-FOX - Ecology/Evolutionary Biology Iran: Shiva SEYED FOROOTAN - Molecular Biology ("The third Asia-Pacific Fellowship Recipient will be announced in the coming weeks.")
Europe/North America Israel: Victoria YAVELSKY - Molecular Biology/Immunology Romania: Adriana JALBA - Plant Biology Turkey: Ahu ALTINKUT UNCUOGLU - Molecular Biology
Latin America/Caribbean Argentina: Maria Gabriela PALOMO - Marine Ecology Peru: Dionicia GAMBOA VILELA - Molecular Biology Venezuela: Rocio DIAZ-BENJUMEA BENAVIDES - Parasitology/ Biology
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For further information: Teresa Menna, Corporate Communications, L'Oréal Canada, (514) 287-4613, tmenna@ca.loreal.com; www.forwomeninscience.com
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