Early this fall, two women scientists from the University of California were awarded the highest honor in their respective fields — the Nobel Prize. On Oct. 6, UCLA astrophysicist Andrea Ghez won the Nobel Prize in physics for her discovery of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The next day, UC Berkeley professor Jennifer Doudna won the prize in chemistry for the development of CRISPR-Cas9, a powerful genome-editing technology that allows scientists to rewrite DNA in any organism, including human cells.
In a conversation moderated by UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Emily A. Carter — herself a distinguished scientist, engineer and member of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering — the newly minted Nobel laureates discuss the science behind their discoveries, their current research and the significance of their Nobel Prizes for women and youth who have a passion for science.
