AWIS Announces Nobel Laureate Dr. Carol Greider as Pinnacle Award Recipient and Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden as Next Generation Award Recipient

WASHINGTON DC, November 8, 2018 – The Association for Women in Science (AWIS), the leading organization advocating for women in STEM, announced Nobel Laureate Carol Greider, PhD, as its 2019 Pinnacle Award recipient and Mareena Robinson Snowden, PhD, Next Generation Award recipient. Dr. Greider and Dr. Robinson Snowden will receive their respective awards at AWIS’ annual premiere event—Innovation and Inclusion Summit and Awards Dinner—on April 24, 2019, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.

“AWIS is excited to honor two outstanding pioneers in STEM,” said AWIS National Governing Board President Susan Windham-Bannister, PhD. “AWIS is presenting its Pinnacle Award, our highest honor, to Dr. Carol Greider in recognition of her discovery of telomerase, a key enzyme in age related disease and cancer. Dr. Greider is Director of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University and winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology. We are presenting our Next Generation Award to Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden who, in 2017, became the first African American woman to earn a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from MIT and whose inspirational story has been featured on national television and radio, and in print media. She is currently the Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Both are wonderful examples of the contributions that women in STEM fields have made and will continue to make to the greater good.”

“This is a great honor, still so much to do for women, please join me in the hard work ahead,” Dr. Greider stated when receiving notification of the award. Dr. Greider continues to receive national recognition for her scientific work and is the recipient of many other awards and honors.

“Efforts to elevate and amplify the voices of women will continue to be critical in cultivating and sustaining an inclusive technical community – one where we access the best ideas through engagement with the full potential of our communities. I am grateful to AWIS for leading in this work and for this tremendous honor,” said Dr. Robinson Snowden.

The summit is an annual event where AWIS recognizes individuals and companies that work towards positive systemic change in the STEM industry including increasing workplace diversity, promoting women in leadership positions and advocating for more inclusive practices in STEM. Innovation and Inclusion Summit sponsors include MedImmune, Genentech, Egon Zehnder, Elsevier and Biogen. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available at https://www.innovation-summit.org.