NEWS: Olin President Gilda Barabino Awarded the 2024 Dickson Prize in Science
Olin President Dr. Gilda A. Barabino has been awarded the 2024 Dickson Prize in Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
Nominated by academic leaders at CMU, Barabino was selected for this prestigious award for her technical and humanitarian accomplishments, drive for social good, and exemplary character and demonstrated service in her field.
CMU's Dickson Prize in Science was established in 1969 by Pittsburgh physician Joseph Z. Dickson and his wife Agnes Fisher Dickson. One of the most prestigious awards bestowed by CMU, the prize recognizes substantial achievements or sustained progress in engineering, the natural sciences, computer science or mathematics.
I am deeply honored to receive this award from Carnegie Mellon and to be counted among the remarkable individuals who have been recognized over these 55 years
I remain committed to transformative education and research in service of society, and am particularly grateful for the students whose lives I have touched and for how they have touched mine.
President Barabino
Dickson Prize Recipient
A chemical engineering pioneer in the field of medicine and global health, Barabino has a broad interest in global health and interdisciplinary engineering education and research, and has pursued an equity ethic across her interdisciplinary career. Her seminal research in sickle cell disease and orthopedic tissue engineering informed current technologies and formed the basis for novel therapies being used with patients today. A thought leader on race, ethnicity, and gender in science and engineering, her work has a particular focus on creating cultures and climates that support a sense of belonging.
Among her awards and recognitions, Barabino is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Biomedical Engineering Society. Barabino is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Award for Service to Society, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s Pierre Galletti Award, Rice University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and two honorary degrees from Xavier University of Louisiana and from Dartmouth College.
Barabino became the second president of Olin College in 2020. Under her leadership, the College has increased the representation of women and people of color among its faculty and students, driven by its strategic vision, Engineering for Everyone—where engineering is accessible to all and serves the needs of everyone. Aware of visibility and invisibility in education, she continues Olin’s integration of the arts and humanities into STEM education to examine the world through different perspectives and foster equity and inclusion.
The award will be presented to Barabino when she delivers the annual Dickson Prize in Science lecture on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, as part of the Carnegie Mellon University Lecture Series.