RFS Briefings - April 9, 2020

Dear Colleagues, 

I am pleased to include another issue of RFS Briefings with some timely and encouraging updates on women in science.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly impacted “how the world does science”, according to an article in The New York Times. “Never before have so many of the world’s researchers focused so urgently on a single topic. Nearly all other research has ground to a halt.”  

In this issue, we highlight the work of women in medicine and science who are working at the forefront of a cure for this disease:

• Among the scientists seeking to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 is Dr. Kizzmekia S. Cobert, a viral immunologist with NIAID. Cobert, a black scientist who is leading a team to find a vaccine, began her work in January when researchers first learned how easily the disease could be spread. Read more.
• Some of the most exciting treatments for COVID-19 are emerging based on CRISPR technology, a tool for accurately editing genetic material, developed by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier. Doudna has recently announced that she is converting her lab facilities for the purpose of viral testing. Read more.   

The fight against COVID-19 has also reminded us, perhaps more than ever, of the historic role of female scientists and physicians in the fight against disease.

• For centuries, women have contributed to the fight against some of the most significant threats to human health, including AIDS, polio, malaria, tuberculosis, smallpox, and now, COVID-19. Read more.
• Women’s History Month in March was a time to “salute our brave fighters on the front lines”. Ten ground-breaking women “who have forever changed the fields of science and medicine” are acknowledged in this article. Read more. 
• Eight women who “pushed the frontiers of science” with research discoveries are featured by The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) in a story published by ONE, the global movement campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030. Read more.

RFS Briefings - March 10, 2020

Dear Colleagues, 

I am pleased to include another issue of RFS Briefings with some timely and encouraging updates on women in science. Reflecting on International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020, celebrated on February 11, I would like to share the following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

RFS, with your help, is committed to achieving this goal.

We hope you will consider, and share with colleagues, the following opportunities highlighted in this issue:

• Applications are being accepted through March 15 for the Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation, awarded for “innovative research that modulates neural activity through physical stimulation of targeted sites in the nervous system with implications for translational medicine.” Read more.
• The National Foundation for Cancer Research is inviting women entrepreneur-scientists in the cancer/oncology arena to enter the AIM HI Women’s Venture Competition, which offers the winner up to $300,000 of seed stage equity investment and the opportunity to participate in the Accelerator program which includes mentoring, advising, and networking. The application deadline is April 6, 2020. Read more
• Goldman Sachs is accepting applications for its Launch with GS Black and Latinx Entrepreneur Initiative, which aims to increase access to capital and connections for Black or Latinx founders, CEOs, or presidents of fast-growing companies at the forefront of innovation and technology. Applications close on April 17, 2020. Read more.

On a sad note, Rosalind P. Walter, the first “Rosie the Riveter” died on March 4 at age 95. Raised in a wealthy New York family, she worked on an assembly line during World War II, joining millions of other women in support of the troops sent off to war. Read more.

RFS Briefings - February 18, 2020

Please see the addendum below as a brief follow-up to the last RFS Briefings sent to you on February 12^th.

Please save the date for our 2020 meeting at HHMI, November 18-19.

RFS Briefings - February 12, 2020

I am pleased to include another issue of RFS Briefings with some timely and encouraging updates on women in science. We hope you began the year with a look at the video presentations from our meeting at the Wistar Institute. And we hope you are saving the date for our 2020 meeting at HHMI, November 18-19. 

Of note:

• Women Deliver is looking for 300 young advocates committed to creating a more gender-equal world. Applications are being accepted through March 13, 2020. Read more.
  
  
• Offering $400 for a successful referral, Sixfold Bioscience is seeking to fill the position of Nucleic Acid Chemist. As an RNA chemist, the recruit would have the opportunity to design and synthesize RNA that enhances Sixfold’s proprietary drug systems. Read more.