ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 26, 2004 -- Biomedical engineer Angela Belcher, whose laboratory viruses can manufacture wires that are billionths of a meter wide, has won a 2004 'Genius Award' from the MacArthur Foundation.

Belcher, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was among 23 people to be named MacArthur Fellows for 2004. The so called genius awards, each of which includes an unrestricted $500,000 grant, are made each year by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago. Candidates from all fields of endeavor are nominated in secret for the originality of their work. They typically receive word of their selection by a surprise phone call.

Belcher was cited for using genetically engineered viruses as templates for nanoscale electronic components. This line of research is one step toward further reducing the size and increasing the power of computers.

Her laboratory has recently used genetically modified viruses that are harmless to humans to act as templates for assembling metal films and wires measuring only a few nanometers wide. The ability to construct electronic components on this scale opens up new possibilities for faster and more powerful computers and other electronic devices.

Belcher's ability to coax viruses to crystalize and retain their structure indefinitely suggests a new approach for preserving vaccines without refrigeration. This could improve vaccine delivery to remote areas of the developing world.

Belcher received her bachelor's degree in 1991 and doctorate in 1997 from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also served as a postdoctoral fellow from 1997 to 1999. She joined the chemistry department at the University of Texas, Austin, before moving in 2002 to MIT, where she holds joint appointments in the departments of materials science and engineering and biological engineering.

The MacArthur Foundation Fellows Program attaches no strings to how fellows use the $500,000 and recipients are not required to account for how they spend the money. Belcher has said she may use the grant to extend her work into the medical field and to get children interested in science.

"It is exciting, especially in these times, to see such a collection of decidedly bold and risk-taking people who are changing our landscape and advancing our possibilities," said Daniel J. Socolow, director of the fellows program.

The MacArthur Foundation, one of the nation's largest with assets of about $4 billion, has three other grant programs: the Program on Human and Community Development, the Program on Global Security and Sustainability, and the General Program.

Contact:
Angela Belcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Frank Blanchard, The Whitaker Foundation