Syngenta scientist receives Franklin Institute award
Basel, Switzerland, 28 January 2002
Syngenta today announced that Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton of Syngenta will receive the 2002 Benjamin Franklin Award for Life Sciences from the Franklin Institute. The award is in recognition of her pioneering work in the area of gene transfer into plants. Chilton's team at Washington University in St. Louis developed the first transgenic plant in 1982. Chilton will receive the award at a ceremony in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 25, 2002.
The award, one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific awards, honors leading scientists, engineers and inventors who have made major contributions to the quality of life. For more than 150 years the Franklin Institute Awards have celebrated outstanding individuals who have transformed entire fields of knowledge through their scientific discoveries and technical innovations. Past laureates have included Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Pierre and Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
"We are most pleased that the Franklin Institute has recognized the work of Dr. Chilton," said Dr. David Evans, Head of Research and Technology at Syngenta. "Mary-Dell's work has helped farmers to increase yields and produce healthier crops. The potential of what she has accomplished to address pressing world problems such as hunger and malnutrition is truly exciting."
Chilton's distinguished career in plant biotechnology spans some 25 years. While on the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, she led the research group that developed the first transgenic plant. That research discovery, and the many developments in plant biotechnology that have followed, have made significant contributions to modern agriculture.
"I am looking forward to the day when the fruits of this technology will be available to the people who need it most," said Chilton. "Someday, we will be able to grow food in places that today are ridden with drought or flood, and grow crops with additional vitamins and nutrients to enhance the health of people around the world."
Dr. Chilton is a Distinguished Science Fellow at Syngenta Biotechnology Inc., located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
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