Nancy Hopkins, the Amgen Inc. Professor of Molecular Biology, will be the speaker at the next Women's League breakfast on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
Hopkins' lab in the Center for Cancer Research is attempting to isolate genes required for the normal development of zebrafish embryo. "No one in the world is in a position to do what Nancy Hopkins is doing," said Institute Professor and Nobel laureate Phillip Sharp. This study of vertebrate development could lead to new drugs and therapies for humans because of the similarity of their gene sequences.
Hopkins, an MIT faculty member since 1972, serves as chair of the first Committee on Women Faculty in the School of Science and as co-chair of the first Council on Faculty Diversity: the Gender Equity Project and the Minority Faculty Project. The council's charge is to aggressively promote the racial and gender diversity of the faculty.
She was the 2001 recipient of the Women's League Laya Wiesner Community Award.
The twice-yearly breakfasts are informal, early-morning get-togethers that explore the role of women in the academy. The series draws guest speakers from the academic and administrative sides of the Institute to share a personal account of their accomplishments. Tickets (first come, first served) may be purchased for $10 each from Sis de Bordenave in Room 10-342.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 3, 2001.
