The Omni San Diego Hotel recently hosted an evening gala event for the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology 2015. I was delighted to be on hand to photograph the 3-hour event in downtown San Diego for posed before and during the awards ceremony, and candid shots during the event’s reception and ceremony.
The March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology 2015 was awarded to leading biomedical researcher Rudolf Jaenisch, Professor of Biology at MIT and a founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Dr. Jaenisch is a pioneer in transgenic science, focusing on understanding epigenetic regulation of gene expression (the biological mechanisms that affect how genetic information is converted into cell structures but that don’t alter the genes in the process). In addition to the solid silver medal, pressed exclusively for the March of Dimes by the U.S. Mint in the design of the Roosevelt dime, honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt, founder of the March of Dimes, Dr. Jaenisch also received a $250,000 cash prize.
Dr. Jaenisch’s work has led to major advances in the understanding of embryonic stem cells and “induced pluripotent stem” (IPS) cells, which appear identical to embryonic stem cells but can be created from adult cells without using an egg (http://wi.mit.edu/people/faculty/jaenisch).
The March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology 2015 was awarded to Dr. Jaenisch for these accomplishments by March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer Howse and Dr. Joe Simpson. Master of ceremonies was Sportscaster Greg Gumbel, and gala attendees included many top researchers including Dr. Peter Salk, son of Dr. Jonas Salk who discovered and developed the first polio vaccine.
The gala and event photography was a delight to capture for the March of Dimes and I’m delighted that one of the images I captured that evening was used and cited in a recent article about the event in the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. To see even more photos from the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology 2015 awards photography, please visit my San Diego Event Photographer Client Galleries page (password required). And for more information about event photography, please contact me.
