Ralph Brinster
The National Medal of Science — the highest scientific honor from the United States government — was awarded to Ralph Brinster, a professor of Reproductive Physiology at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, on Tuesday.
President Barack Obama nominated seven scientists to receive this award at a ceremony later this year for their ingenuity and passion for innovation, according to a White House statement.
Brinster’s award-winning research focuses on the manipulation of mammalian germline cells, which differentiate to become sperm and eggs.
His lab has developed a technique to add new genes to the germline of living organisms — research that has applications in understanding diseases and life functions.
“I was very surprised and honored to receive this award, and it is well-deserved recognition for the Veterinary School, Penn and the entire field of genetics,” Brinster said in a University statement.
Brinster is the eighth Penn professor to be nominated for the Medal since its inception in 1959, and the first from Penn hailing from Penn Vet.
Previous Penn winners include Emeritus Physics professor Fay Ajzenberg-Selove (2007), Physics and Astronomy professor Raymond Davis (2001), Chemistry professor Ralph Hirschmann (2000), Physics professor Robert Schrieffer (1983), Biochemistry professor Mildred Cohn (1982), School of Medicine Pediatrics professor Paul Gyorgy (1975) and Biophysics professor Britton Chance (1974).
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