During the award ceremony in Hamburg, Prof. Andreas Hemmerich called Morais Smith a perfect role model and his favorite proof against gravity. In his honorary speech, he outlined her path of life starting in a small village in Brazil to her engagement as a highly acclaimed physics professor at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. In between she worked for the Bank of Brazil to finance her studies, for example, gained a degree in French literature, and learned six languages. Nowadays, a lot of interested colleagues in Hamburg are looking forward to collaborate in the field of topological states.

Cristiane Morais Smith dedicated her prize to the many women before her, like for example Emmy Noether, who never got anything.

At the same ceremony Dr. Friederike Ernst from Stanford University received the Junior Award.

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More on the Mildred Dresselhaus Guest Professorship Program:

News release from CUI Hamburg on this years awardees 'A jewel of equal opportunities'.

A downloadable version of the magazine Mildred Dresselhaus Preis und Preisträgerinnen is available in German.