NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Of the six scientists honored by the Biophysical Society as 2001 Society Fellows, two are prominent chemists at Rutgers -- Helen M. Berman and Wilma K. Olson. The award honors distinguished members who have demonstrated excellence in science and contributed to the expansion of the field of biophysics. There are currently about 6,000 members of the society and, to date, only 45 have been selected as fellows.
"The awards to Professors Berman and Olson are an affirmation of their scientific achievements and recognize their dedication to the pursuit of knowledge," said Joseph J. Seneca, university vice president for academic affairs. "They have demonstrated excellence in research areas that have profound implications for the future well-being of society and a life time of deep commitment to the education and training of the next generation of scientists."
Berman, a resident of Lawrenceville, is a professor of chemistry and director of the Protein Data Bank, an international computer-based, three-dimensional atlas of biological macromolecules available to researchers worldwide via the Internet. It provides an essential resource for genetic research, for drug design, and for understanding the causes, effects and treatment of disease.
She was selected as a fellow based on her contributions to the area of macromolecular structure, with particular emphasis on nucleic acids and on macromolecular solvation. Berman is also the year 2000 recipient of the Biophysical Society's Distinguished Service Award.
Wilma K. Olson, a resident of Mountainside, is the Mary I. Bunting Professor of Chemistry and director of the Center for Molecular Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at Rutgers. She received the honor for her major contributions to molecular biophysics through groundbreaking studies of nucleic acids, in which she has developed and applied novel computational tools.
Her research is in computational and theoretical studies of the relationship of chemical architecture to the conformation, properties and interactions of biological macromolecules. Olson is also the president-elect of the Biophysical Society. She will assume the office at the 2001 annual meeting of the society in Boston and will serve as president for one year beginning February 2002.
The Biophysical Society is a professional scientific society established to encourage development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. The society promotes growth in this expanding field through its annual meeting, its journal, and its committee and outreach activities. Since its founding in 1956, the society has grown throughout the United States and the world. Its members teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies and industry.