CCNY Physicist Myriam Sarachik Receives Prestigious
Women in Science Award
Dr. Myriam Sarachik,
Distinguished Professor of Physics at The City College of
New York (CCNY), has been named the 2005 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO for Women
in Science North American Laureate. She was recently
honored at a special ceremony in Paris, France. The award carries
a $100,000 dollar cash prize.
The prestigious Women
in Science Award program is sponsored by L'ORÉAL,
the global cosmetics company, in partnership with the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).
Initiated in 1998 to
elevate the role of women in the scientific community by
highlighting and rewarding their contributions, the L'ORÉAL-UNESCO
Awards are presented annually to five established scientists
from different regions of the globe. The recipients are selected
by an international jury of their peers for their commitment
to breakthrough science. The jury also awards 15 fellowships
to young women at the doctoral or post-doctoral level.
"I am completely overwhelmed by this honor," said Dr. Sarachik,
who is one of the world's foremost experimental condensed
matter physicists. ÒIt is especially meaningful because I
am receiving the recognition from my peers. It is gratifying
to know that a company like L'ORÉAL recognizes the
value of rewarding women for their contributions to solving
crucial scientific problems and encourages women to follow
scientific careers,Ó she added.
City College President Dr. Gregory H. Williams hailed the award to Dr.
Sarachik. "This is a fantastic tribute to Professor
Sarachik, a woman who embodies the highest ideals of science
and teaching," Dr. Williams said. ÒFor over 40 years,
she has been a pillar of The City College of New York, both
as an outstanding teacher and cutting edge researcher, and
we could not be prouder of this most deserved recognition
from UNESCO and L'ORÉAL."
A leader in the international physics community, Dr. Sarachik's career
in experimental condensed matter physics has centered on
the study of electrical conductivity and magnetic properties
of various materials at very low temperatures. Her work is
valued both for its fundamental scientific merit and for
its potential application in enhancing the technology that
has revolutionized communications, computation and the way
we gather and store information, bringing ever closer the
realization of quantum computation and faster, smarter computers.
Dr. Sarachik also is to receive the 2005 Oliver E. Buckley Prize in Condensed
Matter Physics, established in 1952 by Bell Telephone Laboratories
(now Lucent Technologies).
Her past honors include the 2004 Sloan Public Service Award from the
Fund for the City of New York and the 1995 New York City
MayorÕs Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. She
was president of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2003,
only the third woman in the Society's 105-year history to
have led the organization.
Dr. Sarachik is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of
the APS, a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences and
a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science.
She graduated (B.A. cum laude) from Barnard College in 1954 and received
M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University (1957 and
1960). She joined CCNY as an Assistant Professor of Physics
in 1964 after stints as a research associate at IBM Watson
Laboratories at Columbia University (1961-1962) and at Bell
Laboratories (1962-1964).#
