Rice prof and alumna among BioHouston honorees

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

When BioHouston Inc. celebrated the achievements of four women leaders in biotechnology and science during a luncheon Oct. 13, a Rice professor and a Rice alumna were among this year’s honorees.

	JENNIFER WEST		JESSICA ZENKER NASSERI

Jennifer West, the Isabel C. Cameron Professor and department chair of Bioengineering and a professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering, was recognized for her research on the design and application of novel biofunctional and biomimetic materials. Her work with polymer materials has the potential to improve the quality of life for patients who have suffered a stroke, and her biomedical applications of nanoshells could benefit cancer therapy, drug delivery and medical testing.

In his introduction of West, Rice President David Leebron noted that to be a center of nanotechnology research and industry, Houston needs brilliant scientists, great teachers, innovative entrepreneurs and inspiring leaders. “Sometimes those will be different people, but in Jennifer West we have the quintessential quadruple threat,” he said.

“The women we honor today are living proof that we cannot achieve our full potential as humans, as Americans or as Houstonians unless we make sure that opportunities in science and engineering are not merely available to all, but made attractive and accessible to all,” Leebron said.

He said West is “a scholar and researcher, one who pushes the limits of knowledge and discovery in the lab while always remaining focused on the purpose and potential of her scientific discoveries to improve our lives.” He noted that she helped build Rice’s Department of Bioengineering into one of the 10 best programs in the country in just 10 years, and her research led to the founding of one of Rice’s first successful biotech companies, Nanospectra Biosciences Inc. West is a “passionate teacher and mentor,” Leebron said, and she has helped create opportunities for women faculty and students.

Rice alumna Jessica Zenker Nasseri ’99 was honored for her efforts to further development of science both through laboratory work and her service as a public school teacher over the past 10 years. She currently serves as a science teacher at YES Preparatory School, a Houston Independent School District charter school geared toward low-income and underrepresented students. She has also participated in lab research to advance scientists’ efforts to treat lung cancer in pediatric patients. She has bachelor’s degrees in biology and anthropology from Rice.

The other two honorees were Melody Boone Meyer, president of Chevron Energy Technology, and Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi, a specialist in neurology at Texas Children’s Hospital, a professor of pediatrics, neuroscience and molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

BioHouston is a nonprofit corporation founded by Houston-area academic and research institutions to establish the Houston region as a global competitor in life science and biotechnology commercialization.