NSF Directors Award

CONGRATULATIONS TO MCB RECIPIENTS OF NSF DIRECTOR’S AWARDS
Photo collage congratulating six MCB awardees. Top row: Karen Cone (left); Alias Smith; Ann Larrow. Bottom row: Richard Cyr (left); Wilson Francisco; Manju Hingorani
Top row: Karen Cone (left); Alias Smith; Ann Larrow
Bottom row: Richard Cyr (left); Wilson Francisco; Manju Hingorani

The National Science Foundation (NSF) held its annual Director’s Awards ceremony on May 7, 2020. The event recognizes excellence in services and achievements of NSF employees. The Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) is proud to have six recipients celebrated this year. Alias Smith (Science Associate) and Ann Larrow (Program Analyst) received the NSF Director’s Superior Accomplishment Award for their “extraordinary efforts in developing the Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) proposal webinar series which is contributing to the diversity efforts across the Foundation.” To learn about the HBCU-EiR webinar series and the upcoming interactive workshop in June, read more in this post.

Program directors Wilson Francisco, Karen Cone, Richard Cyr, and Manju Hingorani also received the Director’s Superior Accomplishment Award for “extraordinary intellectual leadership and vision in defining the biggest challenges in Biology through sustained community-wide engagement and integration across fields of science.”

MCB congratulates all awardees and thanks them for their exceptional work in fulfilling NSF’s mission of promoting the progress of science.

MCB congratulates the winners of the NSF Director’s Awards and the National Alliance for Broader Impacts Award
The NSF directors award winners are standing together holding their certificates and smiling
Left to right (front) Alexis Patullo, Reyda Gonzalez-Nieves, Bridget Johnson, Engin Serpersu, (back) Wilson Francisco, Charles Cunningham, and Jaroslaw Majewski.

On May 9, 2019 the National Science Foundation held its annual Director’s Award ceremony to recognize excellence in service and achievement by NSF employees. Eight MCB employees were honored this year. Reyda Gonzalez-Nieves received the NSF Director’s Award for Meritorious Service for her exceptional leadership. Charles Cunningham, Bridget Johnson, and Alexis Patullo received a Superior Accomplishment award for advancing one of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas, “Understanding the Rules of Life” through their work organizing the “Building a Synthetic Cell” ideas lab. Wilson Francisco, Jaroslaw Majewski, and Engin Serpersu also received a Superior Accomplishment award for their leadership in developing “Quantum Leap,” another of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas.

The National Alliance for Broader Impacts held its annual summit April 30-May 2 and honored Karen Cone and David Rockcliffe for their significant contributions to advancing the societal impacts of research and for leadership in supporting the National Alliance for Broader Impacts.

MCB congratulates all our awardees and thanks them for their hard work and commitment to fulfilling NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science.