BioHouston, Inc. has honored Jennifer L. West and three other Houston women leaders in the biotech and science with a Celebrating Women in Science Award. The award was presented to West at the organization's 2009 Annual Luncheon on Oct. 13.
West, the Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and chair of the Department of Bioengineering, is an expert in the design and application of novel biofunctional and biomimetic materials. Her Laboratory for Biofunctional Materials and Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering fosters ongoing research in regenerative medicine, medical devices, and bionanotechnology.
BioHouston, a non-profit corporation founded by Houston-region academic/research institutions, seeks to create an environment that will stimulate technology transfer and research commercialization, thereby generating economic wealth for the region and making it a global competitor in life science commercialization.
Celebrating Women in Science awards were also presented to: Melody Boone Meyer, Chevron Energy Technology Company; Jessica Zenker-Nasseri, YES Preparatory School; and Huda Zoghbi, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
BioHouston hosts more than 60 events each year to nurture the critical elements required for strong commercial development in Houston. Its goal is to facilitate translational research and technology transfer, enhance capital formation, increase the availability of investment capital, and support technology development and commercialization.