March 22, 2005

Brookhaven Town Honors Two BNL Scientists

Two BNL scientists - Rita Goldstein and Lisa Miller - were among 11 women honored for their accomplishments at the Brookhaven Town-sponsored Women's Recognition Night at Brookhaven Town Hall on March 22. Goldstein and Miller were recognized for their contributions to science in the Town ceremony, which celebrates National Women's History Month.

Lisa Miller, a biophysicist in the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) Department, uses infrared light and x-rays at the NSLS to study the chemical composition of bone tissue in diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. She also investigates protein-folding diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and scrapie, the sheep form of mad cow disease, in which specific proteins in the brain fold into incorrect shapes and cause damage to brain cells.

Lisa Miller

Miller also plays an important role in science education and the public understanding of science. She often mentors students from high school to the postgraduate level. In addition, Miller is responsible for outreach activities on behalf of the NSLS, including publications, the website and tours. For example, she organizes an annual open house at the NSLS for BNL's Summer Sundays, when the Lab's facilities are open to the public.

"I am very pleased to receive this honor from Brookhaven Town," Miller said. "I'm glad that my research is recognized, and I am happy that many of the students I've mentored have chosen to pursue scientific careers."

Miller earned a B.S. in chemistry from John Carroll University in 1989, an M.S. in chemistry from Georgetown University in 1992, and a Ph.D. in biophysics from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1995. After serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and BNL, she joined BNL in 1999 as an assistant biophysicist, and she was promoted to biophysicist in 2003. Since 2002, she also has been an adjunct assistant professor in Stony Brook University's Department of Biomedical Engineering.

This year, Miller was invited to serve on the scientific advisory committee of the Canadian Light Source, a role served only by world-class scientists. For her work with students, Miller received DOE's Outstanding Mentor Award in 2002.

ARTICLE BY: Diane Greenberg