Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorski, a young Israeli scientist, wins the prestigious UNESCO-L'OREAL "For Women in Science" 2012 award for continental Europe

After being one of the winners of the award in Israel, Dr. Geva-Zatorsky also continued as Israel's representative for the European award, and is the fourth Israeli to win it over the years

Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorski, a young Israeli scientist, wins the prestigious UNESCO-L'OREAL "For Women in Science" 2012 award for continental Europe

Naama was chosen from among hundreds of nominations from around the world, by an international panel of judges consisting of world-renowned scientists and Nobel Prize winners

Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorsky, Doctor of Systemic Biology from the Weizmann Institute, won the 2012 UNESCO-L'Oreal Prize "For Women in Science" for the whole of Europe, for her research dealing with the function of the good bacteria in the body and their meaning for the human body.

The prize is awarded annually to 15 young female researchers from all over the world. Each one wins a prize of up to 40 thousand dollars (over two years), and wide international recognition.

The UNESCO-L'OREAL project "For Women in Science", in the framework of which Dr. Geva-Zatorski was selected, is a multinational project to promote women scientists that has been operating for 14 years. In Israel, the project has been operating for 3 years, offering young Israeli scientists significant research support and an opportunity for Israeli and international recognition.

The judging committee of the UNESCO-L'Oréal project "For Women in Science" in Israel consists of world-renowned senior scientists, including: Prof. Ruth Arnon - Israel Prize winner and chairman of the jury; Prof. Ada Yonat - winner of the 2009 "Nobel" Prize in Chemistry and the 2008 L'Oreal-UNESCO Prize "For Women in Science" for continental Europe, and more.

According to the Minister of Science and Technology, MK Prof. Rabbi Daniel Hershkovitz, "Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorski's win is further proof of the scientific power of the State of Israel and the rising power of women in the various fields of science. May the win be the first in a chain of international awards and revelations for her."

Nava Ravid, CEO of L'Oreal Israel: "L'Oreal Israel, and I as a woman, see the promotion of young women scientists as a pleasant privilege and a great duty. In a world where, in the last century, about 95% of the Nobel Prize winners were men, L'Oréal has an international obligation to lead a banner for the advancement of women in general, and the advancement of women in science in particular in this century. The world needs science and science needs women - today more than ever."

The head of the lobby for women, MK Dr. Rachel Adato, said that "with her win, Dr. Geva-Zatorski joins a long line of talented and valued women who contribute to science and women's work in the world." This success makes Israeli scientists in particular and Israeli research and development in general a miracle, and I hope that the continuation of the research will lead to new ways to improve the quality of life in the world and to a better Israel."

× The Director General of the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women in the Prime Minister's Office, Mrs. Ward Sweid, congratulated her by saying, "The scientific knowledge that you have raised and will continue to raise in the future for the common good, are a priceless asset. There is something in your successes to encourage and empower women and girls who have not yet broken through the glass ceiling, and whose ambitions have not yet been realized. Beyond the natural talent, a huge investment, devotion and diligence is required to reach such a great achievement, and for that all praise and respect to your work."

Today and tomorrow (28-9.3.2012) the official international ceremony for the L'OREAL-UNESCO project "FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE" 2012 was held in Paris, which presents the most promising senior and young scientists in the world, from among hundreds of candidates. This year, among the young winners is an Israeli scientist, Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorsky, who won the international prize for research with groundbreaking potential in the field of systems biology. This is an impressive achievement for Israeli science - especially since the Israeli program for submitting applications for the UNESCO-L'Oréal scholarship "For Women in Science" was opened only three years ago - and this year once again an Israeli female scientist wins respect and international recognition.

The Israeli Committee for UNESCO and L'Oréal Israel have been collaborating for 14 years to promote young female scientists in Israel. Officially, the local project has existed in Israel for 3 years, and is based on international cooperation between L'Oréal Global and UNESCO - L'ORÉAL-UNESCO "For Women In Science". This is an international partnership founded in 1998, and is designed to recognize the contribution of prominent women scientists to scientific progress and to encourage the participation of women in scientific research.

The Israeli jury that selected Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorsky for support of her research and international recognition is composed of world-renowned senior Israeli scientists: Prof. Ruth Arnon, Israel Prize Laureate, Weizmann Institute; Prof. Ada Yonat, winner of the "Nobel" Prize and the Israel Prize, Weizmann Institute; Prof. Rivka Karmi, president of Ben Gurion University; Prof. Hagit Yaron-Messer, President of the Open University; Prof. Efrat Levy-Lahad, Head of the Department of Genetic Medicine at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

Israel, one of the small participating countries, is "on its own" in this prize, and has won no less than 4 prizes in recent years: in 2008, even before she won the "Nobel" prize, Prof. Ada Yonat became the first Israeli to win the prize for senior scientists. 3 more wins in the young scientists track: in 2005, Victoria Yavolski won a prize for her research into early diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer; Last year, Hagar Galbard-Shagiv won an award for her research in the field of consciousness; And this year, as mentioned, the winner is Dr. Geva-Zatorski.

Geva-Zatorsky, the recent winner, began her research at the Weizmann Institute, and she continues it in the laboratories of Harvard University in the United States. Dr. Geva-Zatorski's research, for which she won the UNESCO-L'Oreal prize "for women in science", deals with the function of the good bacteria in the body. The human body is actually a habitat for billions of bacteria - because there are 10 times more bacterial cells in the human body than the human cells themselves.

Dr. Geva-Zatorski will examine the function of the good bacteria, and their meaning for the human body. To research potential cures for intestinal diseases, diabetes, immunodeficiency diseases and cancer. Dr. Geva-Zatorski believes that the bacteria that live with us from the moment we go out into the world have a major impact on our bodies and our health.