On Mar. 11 the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization and French cosmetics giant L'Oreal held a ceremony in Paris to give the L'Oreal/UNESCO Women for Science Awards for 2004 to Ms. Nancy Ip, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and director of Biotechnology Research Institute of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. This is the second time that a Chinese scientist has got this honor.

Based on the evaluation of the whole academic life of scientists, the L'Oreal/UNESCO Women for Science Awards is the only global prize designed to honor the women whose sci-tech researches are focused on basic disciplines including biology, physics and chemistry. Its authoritativeness is recognized by the international academic circle. It is presented to five women scientists annually who have made great achievements. Prof. Ip is a world-known neuro-biologist whose research is focused on neurotrophic factor and neuro-transmitter. Her discovery in new neurotrophic factor helps treatment of neuro-degenerative diseases such as senile dementia and Parkinson's disease. The other four winners of the prize this year are women scientists from South Africa, Brazil, US and France.

(People's Daily March 14, 2004)