Betsy received the Department of Energy’s 1985 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to atomic energy, the first woman ever to receive the prestigious award. In a Nov. 24, 1985, story in the New York Times, Betsy explained her work thus: “What we study is the way in which radiation damages DNA in cells, how cells can repair that damage, and the consequences of the failure of repair. People who worry about the biological effects of atomic energy are quite concerned about the effects of radiation, and we have been able to provide some of those answers....[A]s far as man goes, we are concerned with changes in DNA which may lead to the development of human cancers.”
As for being the first woman to be granted this honor, Betsy said, "[T]here'll probably be many more in the future." Since then and through 2014, 12 other women have received the award.
The award was established in 1959 to honor Ernest Orlando Lawrence, a scientist who helped elevate American physics to world leadership.
Betsy received the Department of Energy’s 1985 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to atomic energy, the first woman ever to receive the prestigious award.
In a Nov. 24, 1985, story in the New York Times, Betsy explained her work thus: “What we study is the way in which radiation damages DNA in cells, how cells can repair that damage, and the consequences of the failure of repair.
“People who worry about the biological effects of atomic energy are quite concerned about the effects of radiation, and we have been able to provide some of those answers....[A]s far as man goes, we are concerned with changes in DNA which may lead to the development of human cancers.”
People who worry about the biological effects of atomic energy are quite concerned about the effects of radiation, and we have been able to provide some of those answers.
As for being the first woman to be granted this honor, Betsy said, “[T]here'll probably be many more in the future.” Since then and through 2014, 12 other women have received the award.
The award was established in 1959 to honor Ernest Orlando Lawrence, a scientist who helped elevate American physics to world leadership.