Female scientists honoured for influenza, forestry research
A group of influenza researchers and a forestry scientist were named winners of the Kovalevskaya Award 2019, a prize dedicated to outstanding female scientists.
Scientists of the influenza laboratory under the virology department, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (Photo: sggp.org.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – A group of influenza researchers and aforestry scientist were named winners of the Kovalevskaya Award 2019, a prizededicated to outstanding female scientists.
The winners were announced on March 4 by thepresidium of the Vietnamese Kovalevskaya Award Committee and the VietnamWomen’s Union Central Committee.
The researchers at the influenza laboratory ofthe virology department, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology,were honoured for their contributions to easing the disease burden of seasonalflu.
In particular, they took part in creating avianinfluenza virus A/H5N1 in the production of flu vaccines in Vietnam.
They contributed to the development ofOseltamivir-Taminflu, which is assessed as the most effective drug for treatingA/H5N1 and A/H1N1 infections at present. There haven’t been any other productsable to replace it.
Recently, the researchers and their colleaguesat the laboratory successfully isolated SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causesCOVID-19.
The other winner is Assoc. Prof. and Dr. TranThi Thu Ha, Director of the Institute of Forestry Research and Developmentunder the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry.
She and her colleagues successfully multipliedcrossbred acacia and gum tree varieties on the industrial scale, supplying 3 –5 million high-quality seedlings to northern and central localities each year.
Ha also obtained many achievements in multiplyingsome precious herbal plants of Vietnam.
The award ceremony is set to take place in May,instead of March like in previous years to coincide with the InternationalWomen’s Day (March 8), due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Kovalevskaya Award, named after Russian femalemathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya, is presented annually to honour femalescientists with remarkable achievements in scientific research and application.
It is presented by the fund of the same name,which is operating in eight countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The Vietnamese Kovalevskaya Award Committee wasestablished in 1985./.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, has become the youngest woman to receive the Kovalevskaya Award, which honours outstanding female scientists.
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Scientists of the influenza laboratory under the virology department, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (Photo: sggp.org.vn) 
