New England Biolabs® Announces 2024 Passion in Science Awards® Recipients

Twelve scientists to be recognized for their inspiring achievements in science mentorship, environmental stewardship, humanitarian efforts and the arts.

IPSWICH, Mass., Sept. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB®), today announced the winners of its fourth Passion in Science Awards, which acknowledge scientists for their innovative work that goes above and beyond the boundaries of pure science to make a profound impact on other fields, including the arts, humanitarian service, environmental stewardship, and science mentorship.

On October 9th and 10th, 2024, NEB will host award recipients from around the world at its headquarters in Ipswich, MA. Award recipients will receive their awards, share their personal stories of success, and participate in group discussions and creative brainstorming sessions with the NEB community.

“Our 2024 Passion in Science Awards recipients truly embody the values which have been embraced by NEB for the past five decades – passion, humility, and being genuine,” said Salvatore Russello, Chief Executive Officer at NEB. “We’re honored to recognize the creativity and accomplishments of those who apply science to enrich and serve others beyond the traditional definition of scientific success.”

The full list of Passion in Science Awardees is as follows:

Category: Science Mentorship and Advocacy Award™

Rogelio Hernandez Lopez (Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA): Co-founder of the Clubes de Ciencia Program, which hosts hands-on STEM workshops for high school and college students in Latin America. To date, the program has hosted 19,000 students in nine countries.

Anne Madden (The Microbe Institute, Yarmouth, ME, USA): Founder of the Microbe Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering microbial discovery for a better tomorrow through participatory art, research and education projects.

Samuel Ogensola (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada): Founder of Shaping African Women in STEM (SWIS Africa), an initiative aiming to celebrate, promote and shape women in STEM in Africa. To date, the program has organized 10 training programs with over 1,000 women participating.

Alyssa Paparella (Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inc., Chevy Chase, MD, USA): Launched Disabled in STEM, a program that connects individuals with disabilities across STEM fields with mentors. To date, the program has connected 380 individuals.

Don Spratt (Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA): Launched the ClarkU STEM Outreach Program, which provides an opportunity for underrepresented groups to be exposed and inspired to pursue careers in STEM.

Category: Environmental Stewardship Award™

Jim Chadwick (University of Oxford, Oxford, UK): Conducted a study to raise awareness among research scientists about their energy usage and its impact, tackling the issue from a grassroots level. Also established a community allotment and wildflower garden at the institute to improve the mental health of graduate students.

Martin Farley (UK Research and Innovation, London, UK): Founder of the LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) program – which helps laboratories conserve plastics, water, energy and other resources – and a lifelong advocate of sustainability

Category: Humanitarian Duty Award™

Adewunmi Akingbola (King’s College, Cambridge, UK): Founder of HealthDrive Nigeria, which combats viral hepatitis in Nigeria through awareness, free hepatitis B surface antigen and HCV antibody tests, and subsidized vaccinations for underserved communities. To date, the program has screened more than 15,000 and vaccinated over 10,000 individuals.

Dylan Pillai (University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada): Founder of the LAMPREG project, which has screened over 2,500 women for malaria using LAMP technology, to determine whether asymptomatic malaria detection improves pregnancy outcomes.

Category: Arts and Creativity Award™

Ji Hyun (Sally) Kong (Brooklyn, NY, USA): Creator of Mitos – Handweaving My Ancestral DNA, a data physicalization project of handwoven patterns generated from the artist’s own mitochondrial DNA sequence.

Sam Siljee (Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Wellington, New Zealand): Developed “The Sound of Science”, a new method of engaging with mass spectrometry data by converting the data into sound.

Michael Weiner (Abbratech, Branford, CT, USA): Creates DNA (and other scientific) artwork using recycled microtiter plates.

In commemoration of NEB’s 50th anniversary, winners of NEB’s recent Golden Butterfly Grand Prize competition, which involved researchers from around the world seeking out golden butterfly icons hidden on its website and product literature, will also attend the festivities.

More information on the winners will be available at www.neb.com/passioninscience following the event.

About New England Biolabs

For 50 years, New England Biolabs (NEB) has pioneered the discovery and production of innovative products tailored for molecular biology research. Our commitment to scientific discovery is evident in all that we do, including our ever-expanding product portfolio, investment in our basic and applied research program, and support of our customers’ research in academia and industry, including cutting-edge technologies for use in molecular diagnostics and nucleic-acid vaccines development. Guided by our founding principles, NEB proactively invests in efforts to improve the well-being of our employees, surrounding communities, as well as the future of our planet. NEB remains a privately held company with global reach, supported by our headquarters in Ipswich, MA, USA, subsidiary offices in 10 countries, and over 60 distribution partners around the world. For more information about New England Biolabs, visit www.neb.com.

NEB®, NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS® and PASSION IN SCIENCE AWARDS® are registered trademarks of New England Biolabs, Inc.

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SOURCE New England Biolabs, Inc.