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2017 Blavatnik Regional Awards Gala and Reception

On Monday November 9th, The New York Academy of Sciences and the Blavatnik Family Foundation honored the three winners and six finalists of the 2017 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists during the Academy’s 14th Annual Gala.

Published November 9, 2017

By Kamala Murthy

The 2017 Blavatnik Regional Awards honorees were selected for their exceptional research from a pool of 161 outstanding nominations from 28 institutions across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Winners and finalists received unrestricted cash prizes and were presented with medals.

All nine Regional honorees were introduced by Brooke Grindlinger, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Scientific Programs and Awards, and were presented with their medals by Peter Thorén from the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Each of the three winners gave a brief presentation about their award-winning work, and all of the honorees and their award-winning work were introduced in three short subject-themed videos.

Life Sciences Honorees

Physical Sciences & Engineering Honorees

Chemistry Honorees

This year’s Gala theme “Imagine300” brought together the best and brightest in research from across New York, representatives from industry, philanthropy, and government, Blavatnik Awards alumni, members of the Blavatnik Regional Awards Jury, and members of the Blavatnik Awards Scientific Advisory Council. The keynote speech was delivered by physician, engineer, author, and former NASA astronaut Mae C. Jemison, MD, who was the first woman of color to travel to space. Dr. Jemison was also awarded an Honorary Membership to The New York Academy of Sciences.

The evening before the Gala, on November 8th, the Blavatnik Family Foundation hosted a cocktail reception in honor of this year’s Blavatnik Regional Awards winners, finalists, and judges. The event was attended by the Blavatnik Awards alumni and supporters of the Awards.

To learn more about the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, visit blavatnikawards.org.


Author
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Kamala Murthy
Associate Director of Communications
Kamala is Associate Director of Communications at The New York Academy of Sciences, where she leads strategic communications for the Academy’s programming, including its prestigious Awards and Fellowship portfolio. Since joining the Academy in 2017, she has worked closely with scientists to translate complex research into accessible stories that reach broader audiences and drive meaningful impact. Kamala holds a BA in Sociology from Barnard College, Columbia University, and brings two decades of experience across science, healthcare, biotech, and pharmaceutical public relations.