Every Fourth of July, Carnegie Corporation of New York celebrates remarkable Americans — all naturalized citizens — who have enriched and strengthened our democracy through their actions and contributions. Along with the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science, Viviana Gradinaru (Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering at Caltech) has received the Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, and in 2017 she was the Early-Career Scientist Winner in the Innovators in Science Award in Neuroscience from the New York Academy of Sciences. Read more. Image credit: Vilcek Foundation.

HHMI Names 50 Gilliam Fellows in Milestone Year.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a member of our Council of Academic Institutions, congratulates 50 graduate students in science and their advisers who were named to the 2024 cohort of the Gilliam Fellows Program on July 9. These student-adviser pairs are recognized for their outstanding research as well as their commitments to advancing equity and inclusion in science. Read more.

BARDA DRIVe Request for Information (RFI) on Strategies for and Barriers to Developing a Single-Dose Vaccine for Pandemic Influenza is Now Live.
BARDA’s Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe) seeks information on current research efforts in developing single dose vaccine formulations to enhance preparedness against pandemic influenza and other emerging pathogens. The availability of single-dose vaccines that could be applied against these pathogens would significantly simplify vaccination campaigns, reduce the burden on healthcare systems, and help reduce morbidity, mortality, and societal disruption. Read more.

Professor Edith Heard appointed the new Director and Chief Executive of the Francis Crick Institute.

The Francis Crick Institute announced the appointment of Professor Edith Heard as its new Director and Chief Executive. Professor Heard, who has led the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) since 2019, is expected to take up the post in summer 2025. Read more. Image credit: The Francis Crick Institute.

Maxine Singer, Guiding Force at the Dawn of Biotechnology, Dies at 93.
Maxine F. Singer died at her home in Washington, D.C. She was a biochemist and federal health official who in the 1970s was instrumental in developing guidelines that protected the then-nascent field of biotechnology while calming fears that this new science would give way to the spread of deadly lab-produced microbes. Read more.

The Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholars Fellowship Nomination period is open.
The Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholars program will support individual postdoctoral scientists of exceptional creativity in the field of neurosciences. Scholars will be chosen on the basis of the success in their prior post-doctoral work and other research as well as in the importance and creativity of their proposed future research. Read more.

Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation Elects Biomedical Research Pioneers Mary-Claire King and Katalin Karikó to its Board of Directors.

“We are incredibly pleased to welcome two legendary scientists and champions of biomedical research to the Lasker Foundation Board,” said Lasker Board Chair Betsy Nabel, M.D. “Both have made remarkable discoveries and life-saving contributions to humanity. They are model advocates for accelerating pathways in medical research – a commitment which sits at the core of the Lasker Foundation mission.” Watch Dr. Katalin Karikó talk about her pioneering research in mRNA vaccine technology. Read more. Image: Katalin Karikó, Penn Medicine (left) and Mary-Claire King, New York Genome Center (right). 

Push and pull: how to measure the forces that sculpt embryos.
Studies like those of Amy Shyer, a mechanobiologist who co-directs a laboratory at Rockefeller University in New York City, demonstrate the ability to monitor and measure the physical forces that shape embryonic development. Read more.

Benefiting 1.5 billion Diabetics and Obese Patients Worldwide Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science Honoring Three Scientists.

Svetlana Mojsov has won this year's Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science for her discovery of GLP-1 and its critical role in the regulation of insulin secretion and blood glucose. Read more.  "(Image: The Rockefeller University)" 

Global Gender Gap Report 2024.
The global gender gap score in 2024 for 146 countries stands at 68.5% closed. Women’s representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM workforces has increased since 2016, yet women remain underrepresented in STEM roles, comprising only 28.2% of the STEM workforce. Read more.

Get Creative: Coloring Women Pioneers in STEM!
Learn about the scientific discoveries and leadership of leading immigrant women in science and medicine, including: Cognitive neuroscientist Biyu J. He, Pediatrician and environmental health advocate Mona Hanna-Attisha, and Katalin Karikó—whose work led to the development of safe and effective mRNA vaccines! This bold book also includes a resource list of organizations that support diversity and empower women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Read more.

Mildred Thornton Stahlman, Pioneer in Neonatal Care, Dies at 101.
Dr. Mildred Thornton Stahlman, a Vanderbilt University pediatrician whose research on fatal lung disease in newborns led to lifesaving treatments and to the creation, in 1961, of one of the first neonatal intensive care units, died on Saturday at her home in Brentwood, Tenn. Read more.

We are pleased to welcome the first members of our new Council of Corporate Leadership!

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