The George W. Beadle Award

Nominations now being accepted

Deadline for Nominations: October 3, 2019

The George W. Beadle Award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers. Recipients of the Beadle Award must have provided service to the genetics community beyond an exemplary research career, for example by creating and disseminating an invaluable technique or tool, assisting the community with the adoption of a model system, working to provide a voice for the community in public or political forums, and/or maintaining active leadership roles.

The Award was established by GSA in 1999 and named in honor of George W. Beadle (1903-1989), the 1946 GSA president who received the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with Edward L. Tatum in discovering that genes act by regulating definite chemical events. The Beadle and Tatum experiments and “one gene, one enzyme” theory established the linkage between biochemistry and genetics, setting the groundwork for the development of molecular biology. Much of Beadle’s work with Tatum was done while he was a Professor of Biology (Genetics) at Stanford University in the late 1930s and early 1940s, but he spent a considerable number of years at the California Institute of Technology, (1931-1936; 1946-1961), and then at the University of Chicago (1961-1968), where he served as university president. At both Caltech and Chicago, Beadle was successful at increasing funding, the number of faculty, and the status of the institution academically.

Beadle served numerous national and international leadership roles, including as chairman of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on the Biological Effects of Atomic Radiation, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and chair of the Scientific Council of the American Cancer Society. He also spoke before school groups and the public, promoting science education and genetics education in particular.

Because of Beadle’s contribution to the community of genetics, GSA established an award in his name to honor the man, who was not only an outstanding scientist, but also a respected academic, administrator, and public servant.

Nominees will be considered for three years without the need to update information. Recipients are generally expected to be current members of the Society.

Eligibility

To be considered for the George W. Beadle Award,  the nominee does not need to be a GSA member. However, nominees who are members of GSA will be given priority in the selection process. Nominees must have made outstanding contributions to the genetics community beyond an exemplary research career.

Selection Criteria

Reviewers consider the following criteria when selecting a recipient:

• Has the nominee made outstanding contributions to the genetics community beyond an exemplary research career?

Recipients