The 15th Annual L'Oréal-Unesco recognizes women in science

NEW YORK — The L'Oréal-Unesco For Women in Science program awarded five women scientists from around the world with the 2013 L'Oréal-Unesco Awards in the Physical Sciences.



The award ceremony took place on March 28 at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Professor Deborah S. Jin, Fellow of JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards & Technology and the University of Colorado, NIST Fellow and physicist Professor Adjoint Physics Department, University of Colorado, was named the 2013 Laureate for North America, for her work in ultracold gases of fermions.



Since its inception, L'Oréal-Unesco For Women in Science has honored 77 Laureates, including two who subsequently were awarded the Nobel Prize, professor Elizabeth Blackburn and professor Ada Yonath. The program also has supported more than 1,652 fellows who have made contributions in every field of scientific research. By the end of 2013, a total of 1,729 women scientists from more than100 countries will have benefited from the program.



An international network of nearly 1,000 scientists nominates the candidates for each year's awards. The five Laureates are then selected by an independent, international jury presided by professor Ahmed Zewail, Nobel Prize in chemistry 1999. Each Laureate receives $100,000 in recognition of her contribution to the advancement of science.



Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO of L'Oréal, stated, "This program was born of a convergence between the crucial role of science at L'Oréal and the pressing need to increase the number of women holding key research posts around the world. By supporting eminent women researchers on all continents, the program is contributing to changing mindsets and fighting prejudice."