Newswise — Acting on behalf of the White House, the National Science Foundation today awarded the American Society for Cell Biology the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) for its efforts to change the face of science by bringing minorities, women and other under-represented groups into research biology.
ASCB President Zena Werb said the Society was honored to be chosen for the 2004 PAESEM award. "The ASCB has long recognized the special problems facing minorities and women trying to pursue careers in the traditional culture of research biology," said Werb. "For decades, ASCB committees on minority and women's issues in cell biology have emphasized mentoring as the best way to promote and nurture greater diversity in the lab. So the face of our science has changed in recent years but we still have a long way to go."
The National Science Foundation (NSF) administers the PAESMEM Program which seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts that enhance the participation of groups (i.e., women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) that are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The awardees serve as leaders in the national effort to develop fully the nation's human resources in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Werb and ASCB Executive Director Elizabeth Marincola accepted the 2004 Presidential Awards on behalf of the Society in a special ceremony Monday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC.
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