Elaine Fuchs, head of Rockefeller’s Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development, was named a recipient of this year’s Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, at $500,000 the largest award in medicine and science in the United States. Fuchs, recognized for her contributions toward realizing the vast potential of stem cells to treat or reverse disease, shares the prize with James A. Thomson of the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan.

INTERCONNECTIVITY AS A SOURCE OF HOPE If she were allowed just one word to describe what she hopes to contribute to the world of research, Jillian Banfield would choose “interconnectivity” – perhaps her way of saying that nothing happens in a vacuum.

NO GENDER DIFFERENCE IN SCIENCE “I do not think there is a difference between men and women in terms of their intellectual ability and research capabilities. As long as one has the passion, dedication and determination to pursue research wholeheartedly, one can excel regardless of one’s gender or background.”

DARE TO DO RESEARCH “To be a researcher and a professor is a fantastic profession,” says Anne L’Huillier, but adds, “I’m quite sure there are many women who can do it but maybe don’t dare”. As she sees it, many are discouraged by the way research is organised and the structure of the university system in many countries. She also believes “the heart of the problem comes much earlier, at school and in families.

PASSION BEATS TRADITION “When I was a student,” she points, “women in Mexico were not expected to have a career”. Although her family was supportive throughout her studies, she still remembers the feeling of being at cross purposes with the principles of traditional education. That is why she also insists on the need to promote “deeper changes in the attitudes of men and women starting early in life.”

EXEMPLARY DEDICATION Faiza Al-Kharafi has been committed to science since a young age. She went on to become a leading scientific figure in Kuwait, experiencing first-hand women’s contribution to the development of science and their strong commitment.