Weizmann Women & Science Award facts for kids

The Weizmann Women & Science Award is a special prize given out every two years. It started in 1994 to celebrate amazing women scientists in the United States. These women have made really important discoveries in science.

The award aims to help more girls and young women get excited about science. It shows them that women can be great scientists and encourages them to follow their dreams. The winner also gets a $25,000 grant to help with their research.

The award was first given by a group called the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. Now, the Weizmann Institute itself gives the award. The award ceremony happens at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovoth, Israel. The Weizmann Institute is a famous place where scientists do important research. They work on big problems in areas like health, energy, farming, and the environment.

Amazing Women Scientists Honored

Since 1994, many brilliant women have received the Weizmann Women & Science Award. Here are some of them:

• 1994 Dr. Joan A. Steitz, a professor at Yale University who studies how living things work at a tiny level.
• 1996 Dr. Vera Rubin, an astronomer who studied how stars and galaxies move.
• 1998 Dr. Jacqueline Barton, a chemistry professor at the California Institute of Technology.
• 2000 Dr. Carla J. Shatz, a professor at Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School who studies the brain.
• 2000 Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus, a professor at MIT who studied electrical engineering and physics. She received a special Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2002 Dr. Susan Solomon, a scientist who studies Earth's atmosphere and climate.
• 2004 Dr. May Berenbaum, a professor at the University of Illinois who studies insects.
• 2006 Dr. Mary-Claire King, a professor at the University of Washington who studies genes and medicine, especially cancer.
• 2008 Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
• 2011 Dr. Catherine Bréchignac, a leader in international science.
• 2013 Prof. Susan Gasser, a researcher in Switzerland who studies biology.
• 2015 Prof. Barbara Liskov, a computer scientist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
• 2017 Prof. Ursula Keller and Prof. Naomi Halas.
• 2019 Mina Bissell and Nieng Yan.

Learn More

• List of prizes, medals, and awards for women in science