Alice Nominated Jaqueline Goes for the Chamber of Science Prize for Women

Deputy Alice Portugal (PCdoB-BA), author of the Amélia Império Hamburger Prize for Women in Science, has nominated Bahia scholar Jaqueline Goes de Jesus to receive the award. The researcher was one of the coordinators of the team of scientists that mapped the first genome of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in Brazil within just 48 hours after the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in the country. The average in the rest of the world for this assignment was 15 days. The sequencing made it possible to differentiate between the virus that infected the Brazilian patient and the genome identified in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic in China.

Jacqueline Guo has a PhD in Human and Experimental Pathology from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and is currently developing post-doctoral research at the Institute of Medical Sciences of São Paulo, University of São Paulo (IMT/USP). She is also a member of the Brazil and UK Center for Arbovir Virus Discovery, Diagnosis, Genomics and Epidemiology.

“It is a great honor to nominate Bahia scholar Jacqueline Joyce to receive this award, which is a recognition of the excellence of women’s participation in solving the great challenges of humanity and an incentive to train more female scientists. Today, only 30% of researchers in the world are women. In addition, there is a participation Low and recognition for researchers in awards like the Nobel Prize, for example, where only 3% are nominated in scientific fields. We need to recognize the excellence of female participation in science and mitigate inequality,” says Alice.

The Amélia Império Hamburger Prize for Women in Science will be awarded annually by the Chamber of Deputies to three scientists who have distinguished themselves for their contributions to scientific research in the fields of the exact sciences, natural sciences and humanities. In this edition, until April 29, federal lawmakers and representatives will be able to nominate scholars to compete for the first edition of the award.

The winning scholars will be selected by the Consultative Council formed by the Second Secretary of the House of Representatives, Chairman of the Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights; Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology, Communications and Informatics. One representative from each political party with a seat in the House of Representatives, appointed by the respective leader. The three candidates obtaining the largest number of votes of the Council members will be honored by direct and secret voting. The award ceremony will take place on July 6th.

About the award

Amélia Império Hamburger was a famous Brazilian scientist who, before her time, was distinguished for her important contributions to science in Brazil. Born in São Paulo on July 12, 1932 and died on April 1, 2011, she worked as a Brazilian physicist, teacher, researcher and scientific promoter. One of the pioneers of science in Brazil.

She graduated in physics from the University of the South Pacific, a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a postdoc at Carnegie Mellon University, and has served as a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Physics for over forty years and has been responsible for organizing historical archives. In addition, he participated in the creation of the Brazilian Society of Physics. She was a defender of democracy and the rule of law, she suffered from imprisonment and torture, the rigors of a period of lack of freedoms in our country.

(PL)