Professor of integrative biology Lauren Meyers recently accepted the Center for Excellence in Education's (CEE) Joseph I. Lieberman Award for Excellence in Science and Technology.
Meyers, who was trained as a mathematical biologist at Harvard University and Stanford University, does work which focuses on the epidemiology of diseases like flu and HIV. The award was given in recognition of her research into those consequential diseases, which includes the use of mathematical models to track the spread of disease, as well as her work in coordinating with public agencies to improve infectious disease policy.
The CEE held a congressional banquet in support of STEM education where Senator Lieberman presented the eponymous award to Meyers. The award comes with a $10,000 research grant to support Meyer's work in epidemiology.
The award held added significance for Meyers because as a high school student, she attended the CEE-funded Research Science Institute (RSI) summer program. In her acceptance speech at the banquet, she recalled that for her and her cohort, RSI "opened our eyes and our hearts to the joys of science, of innovation, of discovery," adding that the program was only possible for her and for many others because it was free for the students, thanks to the CEE's funding.
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