The Genetics Society of America has selected R. Scott Hawley, PhD, Stowers investigator and dean of The Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research as the recipient of the 2013 George W. Beadle Award for his outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers.

“No one is more deserving than Scott,” says Scientific Director Robb Krumlauf, PhD “Scott has had a profound impact on the field of genetics through his groundbreaking discoveries, but maybe even more so through his unrelenting enthusiasm for teaching, which has inspired generations of students to consider a career in science.”

Many of those students agree. “Working with Scott both before entering medical school and during my graduate phase has been a wonderful experience. I consider myself fortunate to have a mentor who is a highly respected scientist, ardent supporter of my work, and an enthusiastic teacher,” says Danny Miller, an MD-PhD student in Hawley’s lab. “Scott has both validated my decision to pursue a career in science and given me a career model to strive for.”

Hawley, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is known worldwide for his seminal work on meiosis, a specialized type of cell division that sets the stage for sexual reproduction. In an orderly, stepwise fashion, maternal and paternal chromosomes pair up, exchange genetic material, and then separate. The tightly controlled process halves the number of chromosomes carried by sperm and egg cells and thus allows the genes of two parents to be combined without increasing the total number of chromosomes.

In recognition of both his research and teaching activities, Hawley was selected as an American Cancer Society Research Professor and is also the recipient of the GSA’s 2008 Excellence in Education Award. Indeed, he is one of only a handful of people who have won two awards from the GSA.