Announcing the 2023 Rita Allen Foundation Scholars.
Congratulations to the 2023 Rita Allen Foundation Scholars! Three of the nine scholars are exceptional early-career women in science. The selected Scholars will receive grants of up to $110,000 annually for a maximum of five years to conduct innovative research on critical topics in cancer, immunology, neuroscience, and pain. Read more.

Celebrating the Establishment of the David Baltimore Chair in Biomedical Research.

Please join the Whitehead Institute community on Friday, September 22, 2023, as they honor Biologist, Nobelist, and California Institute of Technology President Emeritus, David Baltimore, Founding Director of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Congratulations to Mary Gehring, Whitehead Institute Member and Inaugural Incumbent of the David Baltimore Chair in Biomedical Research. Read more. Image: Mary Gehring, Whitehead Institute.

Double helix double crossing? What really happened between Rosalind Franklin, James Watson and Francis Crick?
Dr. Kat Arney sits down for a chat with Professor Matthew Cobb to get the inside track on what really happened between James Watson, Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin during the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. Read more. In this webinar—the first in a “Women in Science” series co-hosted by GEN and the Rosalind Franklin Society—British biologist and author Dr. Matthew Cobb explored Franklin’s contribution to DNA structure and how they have been seen in popular culture. Read more.

This book dissects the years-long battle for gender equality at MIT. 
In their pursuit of science and discovery, the few female scientists at MIT in the late 20th century found themselves faced with hurdles related to their gender, rather than their research. So they did what scientists do: they quantified it. One journalist took notice. Read more. Please watch Kate Zernike's interview from the RFS 2022 Year-end meeting, 

Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology. 
Apply today for the 2023 Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology! This honor was created to support and reward young investigators who demonstrate expertise with the potential for lasting impact on vaccine and immunotherapy discovery. Read more.

Karmella Haynes Leads Exploration of the Genome’s Dark Regions.

Biomedical engineer Karmella Haynes is leading a team of multi-disciplinary investigators who were awarded a four-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to explore the dark matter of the genome. Read more. Image: Emory University & Georgia Institute of Technology.

Female scientists found to be almost entirely absent from Australian high school curriculum.
Female scientists are almost entirely omitted from Australian curriculum, a new study has found, with researchers warning the “alarming” lack of representation could be contributing to the gender gap in the field of STEM. Read more.

Patients have better outcomes with female surgeons, studies find.
People who are operated on by female surgeons are less likely to experience complications and need follow-up care than when males wield the scalpel, according to two major studies that suggest male surgeons have important lessons to learn. Read more.

The Making of an Ivy League President: Two Women’s Stories.

In “Necessary Trouble,” by Drew Gilpin Faust, and “Up Home,” by Ruth J. Simmons, the former presidents of Harvard and Brown recount their unlikely paths to leadership at two of America’s most elite universities. Read more. (Image: Left: Drew Gilpin Faust, President, Harvard University, USA makes a point during the session 'Women in Economic Decision-making' at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 25, 2013. Copyright by World Economic Forum. swiss-image.ch/Photo Michael Wuertenberg. Right: Dr. Ruth J. Simmons speaking at the National Press Club. Wikipedia.)

WINGS WorldQuest invites you and your guests to join them for the 20th Anniversary WINGS Women of Discovery Awards Gala.
The WINGS Women of Discovery Awards were established in 2003 to recognize extraordinary women making significant contributions to world knowledge and science through exploration. Join them October 12, 2023, in NYC at 583 Park Avenue for a truly unforgettable evening honoring our five pioneering 2023 Women of Discovery, their groundbreaking work, and their unceasing quest to build a better world for us all. Read more.

This archeologist reconstructs the past with animal bones.
Archaeologist Pamela Akuku studies ancient animal bones to learn more about how early humans lived. She’s currently studying remains from Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge (funded by SSHRC and the Leakey Foundation), where researchers previously discovered stone tools and evidence of early human ancestors going back as far as 2 million years. In this interview, Akuku shares her experiences and advice with Science News Explores. Read more.

Adele Wolfson Recognized for Her Work to Advance the Careers of Women in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. 
Adele J. Wolfson, a professor emerita of chemistry and natural and physical sciences at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, received the Sustained Leadership Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Read more.

Interview: Loren Grush on Nasa’s first female astronauts: ‘People thought they’d be a distraction to the men in space’. 
The science reporter reveals the astonishing truth behind the stories in her new book, The Six, which follows the first women inducted into Nasa’s astronaut program in 1978. Read more.

Rosalind Brewer Steps Down as Walgreens Chief After a Short Tenure.

The company said the decision for Ms. Brewer to depart was mutual. She was one of the few women running a Fortune 500 company, and when she was appointed she was the only Black woman to hold that position. Read more.Image: Business Wire.

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Marianna Limas, Social Media Manager
Nilda Rivera, Partnership and Events Manager

Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships.
The application cycle for the next round of Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships opens on October 10th. Please spread the word to postdocs (and soon to be postdocs) in biomedical sciences. Inspired by the founding purpose to support research into the causes and treatment of cancer, the Fund’s mission has broadened to support fundamental scientific research that advances our understanding of the causes, treatments, and cures for human disease. Read more.

Erin Stache Receives DOE Early Career Award.

Erin Stache, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and one of its newest faculty members, has been awarded funding for next-generation STEM leaders from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Early Career Research Program. Read more. Image: Assistant Professor of Chemistry Erin Stache (Photo courtesy of the Stache Lab)

Why two scientist-mums made a database of parental-leave policies.
By scouring websites and pestering university human-resources departments, Amanda Gorton and Tess Grainger are tracking the vast differences in leave entitlements across North America. “Our hope is that these data can help prospective parents to chart their career paths in academia while building their families. We also hope that it will spur universities to thoroughly examine their own parental-leave policies in comparison to those of other institutions.” Read more.

Women CEOs run 10.4% of Fortune 500 companies. A quarter of the 52 leaders became CEO in the last year.
Few women of color lead Fortune 500 companies. Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Roz Brewer and TIAA chief Thasunda Brown Duckett remain the only two Black female CEOs among this cohort. Read more. 

The Gray Foundation Announces $25 Million in New Funding for BRCA-Related Cancer Research.
The new grants are part of the Foundation’s ongoing Team Science program, which funds innovative BRCA-related collaborative research. For this cycle, the research teams were selected from more than 55 applications through an extensive evaluation led by Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD, Chief Science Advisor for the Gray Foundation, supported by a review committee composed of leading experts in the field. Read more. 

NYSCF Innovator Malin Parmar’s Investigational Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Reaches First Patient In Clinical Trial.

STEM-PD, a investigational cell therapy developed by NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Investigator Alumna Malin Parmar, PhD, of Lund University, reached its first patient as part of a clinical trial in Sweden. Read more. Image: Malin Parmar, PhD, The New York Stem Cell Foundation.

A Harvard President’s Reflections on a Southern Girlhood.
As president of Harvard University from 2007 to 2018, Drew Gilpin Faust was the first woman to occupy the highest bully pulpit of American higher education. In “Necessary Trouble,” Drew Gilpin Faust wrestles with her conservative Southern upbringing, and the unfinished business of the Civil War. Read more. 

Science experiments traditionally only used male mice – here’s why that’s a problem for women’s health.
Scientists long assumed that females would respond the same way as males in drug trials. But today, that situation is changing. More and more studies use both female and male animals – and new science is emerging about important sex differences as a result. Read more. 

Prehistoric women may have invented this ingenious stone age hunting weapon.
An ancient weapon known as an atlatl may have been used by prehistoric women to launch projectiles with the same force as men, thereby enabling them to take over hunting duties. Read more. 

As recently reported in the Women in Academia Report, we want to congratulate three impressive new university leaders. 
Pamela J. Haney, PhD, President, Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills (left)
Valerie Kinloch, President, PhD, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina (center)
Michele Carter, PhD, Chancellor,  Central Texas College in Killeen (right)

Subscribe to our newsletter (RFS Briefings) at Rosalind Franklin Society | Substack 

Marianna Limas, Social Media Manager
Nilda Rivera, Partnership and Events Manager

NIH selects Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

Rosalind Franklin Society Awards Recognize Outstanding Contributions from Women and Minorities.
The 2022 Rosalind Franklin Society (RFS) Awards in Science, recognizing outstanding peer-reviewed research by women and underrepresented minorities in STEM, have been announced. The anthology of award winners is available digitally on the Rosalind Franklin Society website as well as in print. The book is a remarkable compendium of research in science, engineering, and medicine that has been accomplished by outstanding investigators. Read more.

The Genome Writers Guild (GWG) and Rosalind Franklin Society have joined forces again.

The Genome Writers Guild (GWG) and Rosalind Franklin Society have joined forces again to recognize amazing scientists by awarding the Rosalind Franklin Medal. This is our annual award to women working in the fields of genome engineering and synthetic biology and researchers in the early stage of their careers.

Congratulations to the RFS Medal Winner, Grace McAuley, and the finalists Dr. Mandana Arbab and Dr. Katie Galloway.

Evelyn M. Witkin, Who Discovered How DNA Repairs Itself, Dies at 102.
in a career that began at the dawn of modern genetic research in the late 1940s, Dr. Witkin explored the ways in which radiation both damaged DNA and generated a repair mechanism, what she came to call the SOS response. Her research shed new light on how solar radiation and chemicals in the environment impact our genetic makeup. Read more.

How centuries of sexism excluded women from science — and how to redress the balance.
Not Just for the Boys is an enjoyable and useful primer on the challenges faced by women in STEM. Athene Donald, an experimental physicist at the University of Cambridge, UK, and a leading authority on gender-equity issues, draws evidence from history, neuroscience and social science to explain why gender bias is rife in STEM. Read more.

NASA chief Kate Calvin discusses how climate change is affecting everyday life.

Kate Calvin, NASA chief scientist and climate adviser, breaks down on "Face the Nation" how climate change is driving some of the most recent weather and health events. Read more. Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls.