Northern California Chapters Association for Women in Science Recognition Awards Banquet

2003 Award Recipients: From left, Caroline M. Kane (Judith Pool Award), Krishna Ghosh (Distinguished Professional Award), Ellen Weaver (presenter), and Katy Kuo Korsmeyer (Ellen Weaver Award)

Each year in April the Northern California chapters host an awards banquet to recognize outstanding professional women.  In addition, each chapter awards a scholarship to a deserving student in their area. 

Distinguished Professional Award
Established in 2000, this award honors a woman using her science outside the laboratory who has mentored other women and promoted the careers of other women in science.

Previous Winners
2003    Krishna Ghosh, Ph.D., Agilent Technologies
2002    Elise Brownell, Ph.D., Bayer Corp.
2001    Coreen Booth, B.Sc., Consultant
2000    Amy E. Ryken, B.A., M.P.H., BBEI and Laney College

Ellen Weaver Distinguished Professional Award
Each year, the Northern California Chapters of AWIS present an award in honor of Ellen Weaver.  Ellen Weaver is Past-President of National AWIS.  After receiving her B.A. in chemistry from Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University, she worked as an analytical chemist for the Manhattan Project and Standard Oil of Ohio and Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, CA.  She returned to school, earning her M.A. in biological sciences from Stanford and her Ph.D. in genetics from UC Berkeley.   Dr. Weaver worked for several years on the genetics and mechanism of photosynthesis before joining the faculty of San Jose State University.
    In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Weaver has served San Jose State as Director of the SJSU Foundation and as Interim Executive Vice President.   Retiring from teaching in 1991, she served two additional years as Associate Dean forDevelopment in the College of Science.  Dr. Weaver has been an officer and director of many professional societies and organizations including Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, Mills College Science Advisory Board, Associated Western Universities, Institute of Marine Resources, the Sea Grant Committee and the American Society of Plant Physiologists.
    Dr. Weaver is a board member of the Semper-Virens Fund, a conservation organization dedicated to acquiring and preserving natural land and scenic vistas in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and thereby extending Big Basin and Castle Rock State Parks.   She previously served as its President.  Dr. Weaver is also on the board of The Textbook League which works towards the improvement of secondary texts in science, history, social sciences, geography and health.  Dr. Weaver was an early member of AWIS, serving as membership chair from 1971-75.  She was national AWIS president from 1992-1993.

Previous Winners
2003    Katy Kuo Korsmeyer, Ph.D., SCCBEP
2002    Kimberly D. Tanner, Ph.D., UCSF
2001    Sharron Penn, Ph.D., Aeomica
2000    Kathryn M. Stephens, Ph.D., GeneTrace
1999    Rosario C. Denoga,  Bayer Corp.
1998    Aurora Sosa, Bayer Corp.
1997    Rona G. Giffard, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University
1996    Deborah Bravo, Ph.D., Bayer Corporation

Judith Pool Exceptional Service Award
Each year, the Northern California Chapters present an award in honor of Judith Pool.  Judith Pool, Ph.D. was very active in promoting opportunities for women in the field of medicine and science.  She was the first co-President of AWIS, formed in 1971, and the founder and first chairwoman of the Professional Women of Stanford Medical School..  Dr. Pool was an exceptional scientist, making major contributions in two areas.  In the field of physiology, she was the first to measure the membrane potential of single cells.  Dr. Pool was highly regarded in hematological circles, both nationally and internationally, for her work on blood coagulation.  She published extensively in the field and contributions included assays of coagulation factors, in vitro synthesis of coagulation factors, studies of the anti coagulant coumadin and antibody inhibitors of factor VIII.  Dr. Pool also developed a method to purify factor VIII cheaply and easily from plasma, greatly improving the lives of hemophiliacs.
    In 1972, Dr. Pool was promoted to Professor, making her one of the first two women to attain this position at Stanford Medical School.  It was in part her struggle for recognition at Stanford that led her to co-found AWIS.  In addition to her significant contributions to science and to women, she also raised three children.   Judith Pool died of cancer in 1975, at the age of 56.

Previous Winners
2003    Caroline M. Kane, Ph.D., UC Berkeley
2002    Sheila McCormick, Ph.D., USDA-ARS
2001    Paula Jardieu, Ph.D., Genentech Inc.
2000    Paula J. Shadle, Ph.D., Bayer Corporation
1999    Cherrill Spencer, Ph.D., Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
1998    Phyllis Gardner, M.D., ALZA Corporation
1997    Kathelyn Sue Steimer, Ph.D., Chiron Corporation
1996    Lynda J. Goff, Ph.D. Professor of Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
1995    Ellen Weaver, Ph.D., Professor Emerita

Palo Alto Chapter Scholarship Winners