Assoc. Prof. Dr Tran Van Khanh (left) and Assoc. Prof. Dr Dinh Thi Bich Lan, the two winners of the Kovalevskaya Award 2017 (Source: vietnamnet.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Two outstanding female scientists have beenhonoured with the Kovalevskaya Award 2017 during a ceremony held in Hanoi onMarch 6.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Tran Van Khanh is the first Vietnamese scientist who hadsuccessfully developed a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)study that supports prenatal diagnosis of DMD to prevent genetic disorders.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Dinh Thi Bich Lan is the author of many highly applicable projectsand products, including antigens of some diseases in livestock and vaccines ofnew generation.
Talking to female scientists and students at the ceremony, former VicePresident Nguyen Thi Doan, who is President of the Kovalevskaya Vietnam AwardCommittee, said that the success of Khanh and Lan showed the significant roleof universities in guiding and supporting students in undertaking theirscientific research.
She stressed that training facilities should create the best study andresearch environment for students by investing more in equipment and labs to meetthe demand of students, while giving equal chances to and encourage femalestudents to engage in scientific research.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that the Government isworking to improve the business environment and boost startups with a goal of 1million enterprises.
He underlined the need for the country to strengthen technologycapacity, which means more inventions and more scientists. He called onstudents to work harder and dare to think and do, thus helping spur thecountry’s growth.
The annual KovalevskayaAward honours the most outstanding female scientists who have gained remarkableachievements in the research and application of science. From 1985-2016, 18collectives and 45 individuals won the awards.
The prestigious prize is named after the Russian female mathematician,Sofia Kovalevskaya, and is awarded by the fund of the same name. The fundoperates in eight countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
At the ceremony, the organization board also announced 12 scientificprojects by female students that will be funded by the Vietnam Women’s Union.-VNA
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