CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts—September 23, 2004—Dr. Phillip A. Sharp, Director of the McGovern Institute at MIT, announced today the call for nominations for the 2nd Annual Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience that recognizes an outstanding discovery or significant advance in the field of neuroscience. Candidates for the award will be nominated by individuals affiliated with universities, hospitals, medical schools and research institutes. The prize recipient will present a public lecture at MIT, hosted by the McGovern Institute and followed by an award's dinner. Criteria for selecting prize recipients are determined solely by the Selection Committee.

"Once again, this award honors Dr. Scolnick's outstanding leadership in pharmaceutical science and service to humanity," said Dr. Sharp, "as well as his commitment to the advancement of neuroscience and alleviation of mental diseases. The Scolnick Prize brings greater visibility to the field of neuroscience, attracting young scientists to the field and encouraging increased support of this important research."

Dr. Edward M. Scolnick stepped down as President of Merck Research Laboratories in December 2002, after holding Merck & Co., Inc.'s top research post for 17 years. During his tenure, Dr. Scolnick led the discovery, development and introduction of 29 new medicines and vaccines. While many of the medicines and vaccines have contributed to improving patient health, some have revolutionized the ways in which certain diseases are treated. Dr. Scolnick has recently been appointed Director of the Psychiatric Disease Initiative at the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard. In addition to joining Broad, Scolnick will become a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biology at MIT, a research associate at McLean Hospital and senior lecturer in the Department of Genetics at Harvard.

The annual Prize provides an important focus for the international neuroscience community, building bridges that will promote future collaborations and an accelerated pace of neuroscience research. It consists of an award equal to $50,000 and is awarded each year.

Selection Committee:

Past Scolnick Prize Winners

2004 Masakazu Konishi

Nominating Procedures & Form
nomination_form.pdf
nomination_form.pdf / 56K

Completed nomination forms, due by October 31, 2004 to:
Committee Chair
Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience
McGovern Institute
MIT, 46-3160
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: mcgovern@mit.edu

For more additional information, please go to http://web.mit.edu/mcgovern

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