Susan Forsburg Recognized for Commitment to Women in Science

Susan Forsburg, professor of biological sciences in USC College, has received the 2011 Roche Diagnostics Alice C. Evans Award from the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) for her contributions to the advancement of women in science.

The honor celebrates ASM members who have demonstrated a commitment to women in science through mentorship and advocacy, while setting an example through scientific and professional achievement. The organization lauds Forsburg for her research in the College as well as her work on the advisory board of USC’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), which is committed to increasing the success of women in science. Active nationally in women-in-science issues, Forsburg also runs www.womenbio.net, a Web site she started in 1997. The site provides women in biology with online resources ranging from educational opportunities to job openings.

At USC College since 2004, Forsburg studies how fission yeast cells maintain genome stability, particularly during DNA replication. She is one of five professors in the College’s Department of Biological Sciences to receive exceptionally high priority grant scores from the National Institutes of Health this past year, which will translate to generous funding for her study on how meiosis react to DNA damage.

Forsburg has earned numerous honors, including being named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Women in Science and the USC Center for Excellence in Research. She also received a USC-Mellon Award for Excellence in Mentoring.

She is an active member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for which she serves on the Public Affairs Advisory Committee, and the American Society for Cell Biology’s Women in Cell Biology Committee.  She serves on NIH study section, and is a member of the American Cancer Society’s Council for Extramural Grants.