Party Pictures 6/7/05 - Eighth annual Women & Science Lecture and Luncheon at The Rockefeller University; Kartika Soekarno Foundation for Indonesian Children

Eighth annual Women & Science Lecture and Luncheon
at The Rockefeller University

Alice Victor and Valerie Rockefeller Wayne

Nancy Kissinger with Mercedes and Sid Bass

Judy Berkowitz, Patsy Smith, and friend

Thursday, May 19th at noon in the auditorium of Rockefeller University, they held the eighth annual Women & Science spring luncheon with the featured speaker Paul Nurse, MD, President of Rockefeller University. The subject was: “Cancer Treatment and Prevention; Where are we headed?”

Rockefeller Gates

Dr. Nurse is a renowned cell biologist and geneticist and shared the 2001 Nobel prize in medicine for discoveries that advanced scientific understanding of how cells reproduce themselves by dividing. This process is tightly regulated through a series of steps known as the cell cycle. A disruption in the cell cycle can result in uncontrolled cell growth and division, the distinguishing features of cancer.

A fellow of the Royal Society, Dr. Nurse serves on the Council for Science and Technology, which advices Great Britain’s prime minister and cabinet. He was knighted in 1999 for his services to cancer research and cell biology. His many other honors include the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research and the Alfred P. Sloan Jr. Prize of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation. Prior to becoming The Rockefeller University’s ninth President in September 2003, he was the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, the largest cancer research organization outside the U.S.

The panelists were Madhav Dhodapkar MD, the Irene Diamond Associate Professor, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; Titia de Lange, PhD., Leon Hess Professor, Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, and Anne Moore MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College Attending Physician, New York Presbyterian Hospital.

More than 500 women from New York’s business and philanthropic communities gathered for the lecture and luncheon. Among those attending were David Rockefeller, Nancy Kissinger, Sydney Shuman, Marnie Pillsbury, Renee Rockefeller, Gigi Mortimer, Lulu Wang, Annette de la Renta, Judith Carson, Cynthia Hazen Polsky, Jamee Gregory, Janet Ross, Daisy Soros, Corinne Greenberg, Samantha Boardman, Connie Chung, Anne Grauso, Beverly Sills, Kimberley Kravis, Francine LeFrak, Joyce Menschel, Sarah Nash, Elyse Newhouse, Alexia Hamm Ryan, Olivia Tournay-Flatto, and Tara Rockefeller.

The Women & Science program was established by The Rockefeller University in 1998 to provide a forum for women to learn about current scientific research and to raise support for women scientists. Since the initiative’s founding, funds raised through Partners in Discovery have established the Rebecca Lancefield Professorship for a senior woman scientist, created a global health research fund, provided support for 45 postdoctoral and graduate fellows, and funded education opportunities for young women in the university’s summer research programs.

Paul Nurse

This year, while continuing to raise funds for outstanding women scientists at the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, Women & Science has also launched a special initiative to create a Seed Fund for Innovative Cancer Research. This fund will provide crucial support for Rockefeller scientists who are working to improve the understanding and treatment of cancer. Young scientists, in particular, will benefit from the fund. To inspire others to give generously to this fund, distinguished Rockefeller University supporters Arthur and Janet Ross created a challenge grant through which new and increased gifts to Women & Science are matched on a one-to-one basis this year.

Founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1901, The Rockefeller University was this nation’s first biomedical research university. Today it is internationally renowned for research and graduate education in the biomedical sciences, chemistry, bioinformatics and physics. A total of 23 scientists associated with the university have received the Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology or chemistry, 19 Rockefeller scientists have received Lasker Awards, five have been named MacArthur Fellows, and 12 have garnered the National Medal of Science. More than a third of the current faculty are elected members of the National Academy of Sciences.

Annette de la Renta and Mercedes Bass

David Rockefeller with Blair Pillsbury Enders and Marnie Pillsbury

Francine LeFrak

Sydney Shuman and Patsy Smith

Lulu Wang and friends

Hillie Mahoney and friend

Renee Rockefeller and Princess Alexandra of Greece

Samantha and Jamee Gregory

Paul Nurse and Corinne Greenberg

Jackie Weld Drake, Daisy Soros, and friend

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Barbara Anderson Terry, Elizabeth Fondaras, and Isabel Furlaud

Robin Neustein with Ludmila Hess and friends

Samantha Boardman

Connie Chung and friend

Olivia Flatto and friend

Photographs by Eric Weiss

Kartika Soekarno Foundation for Indonesian Children's “Shadow Play: A photographic Journey Through Asia”

John Hardy, Consul General Wahyono, and Kartika Soekarno

Andy Sorriano, Mercedes Zobel, and Robin Hallas

Two Mondays ago at the Asia Society and Museum at 725 Park Avenue, they held an opening night Preview of Magnum Agency Photos of Indonesia entitled “Shadow Play: A photographic Journey Through Asia.”

The evening was co-chaired by Kartika Soekarno, Princess Nuschi zu Furstenberg, Peggy Guinness, Stephane and Maria Niarchos Gouaze, Pierre Durand and Jereissati. Benefit committee included Prince Pierre d’Arenberg, Ali Pasha Bahadori, Adelina Wong Ettelson, Xavier Guerrand Hermes, Ann Dexter Jones, Sharzhad Khayami, Kenneth Jay Lane, Joanna and Bruce McDermott, CJ and Roberta Leclery Morrell, Yoko Ono, Victor Patino, Anne Van Rensselaer, Carrie Rocco, Charles Rockefeller, Djody and Etty Setiuawan, Brian and Lavinia Snyder, Carlos de Souza, Hudy Suharnoko, Lee Thaw, Mila Tuttle, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Adrian Zecha, and Mercedes Zobel.

The Preview cocktails were followed by a benefit dinner in honor of the Kartika Soekarno Foundation. Just before the dinner there was a silent auction and immediately following the dinner there was a live auction.