Genetics researcher awarded DRI’s Nevada Medal

The Desert Research Institute presented the 22nd annual Nevada Medal Dinner and Awards Ceremony on April 7 at the Peppermill in Reno and on April 9 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The Nevada Medal Award is sponsored by AT&T. The recipient receives a minted eight-ounce silver medallion and a $20,000 prize in recognition of outstanding international achievement in science, engineering and technology.

The 2009 Nevada Medal recipient was Dr. Francis Sellers Collins, a renowned physician and genetics researcher who was the former leader of the Human Genome Project. Official hosts of the dinner were Gov. Jim Gibbons, and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada. They were unable to attend the Las Vegas dinner and sent their congratulations via video.

As is customary, Gibbons had a dinner at the governor's mansion in Collins' honor earlier in the week. Presiding over the Las Vegas dinner of 370 guests were Stephen G. Wells, president of Desert Research Institute, and his wife, Bethany.

The cocktail reception presented the opportunity for many of the guests to speak with the event's honorees. Among those attending were U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nevada, and husband, Tom Wright, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Las Vegas City Councilman Ricki Barlow, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, University Regents Mark Alden, Stavros Anthony, James Dean Leavitt, Kevin Page and Ray Rawson, UNLV President David Ashley and College of Southern Nevada President Michael Richards.

Master of ceremonies was Gary Waddell of KLAS-TV, Channel 8. Mike Benjamin, Desert Research Institute foundation chairman, introduced a video. Among guests viewing the video were Marybel Batjer, Fred Gibson, Mary and Troy Wade, Freda and Nick Aquilina, Tom Gallagher, Susan and Thom Schoeman, Judy and Jim Kropid, Jeff Shaw, Charles Creigh, Jessica Mallow, Bruce Layne, Carolyn Sparks, Cleve McDaniel, Kathleen Badgett, Sidra Kain, Marianne and John Gibson, Eileen Oser, Kathy Parraguirre and Jack Woodcock, Hilary Crowley and Michael Brown, Robin and David Sweeney, Tod Story, John Gardner, Rusel Kost, Lonnie Hammargren and Howard A. Lennox Jr. of AT&T.