[Sci-tech-public] Sophia Roosth wins Siegel Prize

David Mindell mindell at MIT.EDU
Tue Jan 30 15:28:53 EST 2007



It is my pleasure to announce that the 2006/7 Benjamin Siegel prize has been
awarded to Sophia Roosth for her paper "Sonic Eukaryotes: Sonocytology,
Cytoplamic Milieu, and the Temps Interieur." 

According to prize committee chair David Jones: 
"What do cells sound like, and what do these sounds mean to science?  Sophia
Roosth answers both questions in her elegantly written exploration of the
new field of sonocytology.  Roosth describes how scientists use new
techniques of atomic force microscopy to amplify and transduce the humming
vibrations of yeast (who, it turns out, prefer a pitch just a half-step or
so above middle C). Informed by social theorists from Derrida to subaltern
studies, Roosth asks, in the end, "can the subcellular speak?"  Her paper
suggests a range of intriguing answers and implications."

Also, the committee has awarded an honorable mention to Sara Wylie for her
paper "Becoming Beagle: Following a Disruptive System, Forming a Disruptive
Science." 

Again, according to Committee Chair Jones: 
"Sara Wylie offers a fascinating description of the history of endocrine
disruption.  She focuses on the work of one researcher, Theo Colborn, who
described herself as a beagle who had to diligently track her data across
many scientific disciplines. Taking this unlikely metaphor, and running with
it, Wylie shows how well this idea of "becoming beagle" captured important
aspects of Colborn's work: how she followed her nose, as if tracking a faint

scent, looking for partial traces that, taken together, could tell the story
of the impact of synthetic chemicals on the Great Lakes ecosytem."

Please join me in congratulating Sophia and to Sarah for their well-earned
recognition for this excellent work. 

dm





More information about the Sci-tech-public mailing list