Young Scientists Win 2009 Eppendorf/Science Prizes for Neurobiology Research

Richard Benton is the 2009 grand prize winner in the international competition for The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology. He is being recognized for his research on the molecular mechanisms of odor detection in insects.

Benton, assistant professor at the University of Lausanne’s Center for Integrative Genomics in Switzerland, explained in his prize-winning essay how his team’s discovery of the differences between the insect and mammalian olfactory systems should help shed light on the evolution of both systems.

This year’s finalists were Max Heiman, now at Rockefeller University, for his essay, “The Brain That Nature Built,” and David McLean, from Northwestern University, for his essay, “Shifting Gears to Change Speeds in the Spinal Cord.”

To learn more about the work and essays of the winning scientists, read the full story.