TLI Director Allison Hubel Awarded Medal at Cryo Conference

Professor of Mechanical Engineering and TLI Director Allison Hubel was awarded the Basil Luyet Medal at the 60th conference of the Society for Cryobiology in Minneapolis on Thursday. 

The prestigious award officially welcomes Dr. Hubel as a Fellow of the Society. She'll take over as the society's new president on January 1, 2024. 

In a speech Thursday morning to attendees on the final day of the three-day global conference, Dr. Hubel spoke eloquently about the long road she has taken in her line of research. She noted that the field of cryobiology is small, and that personal connections have been important in navigating a career that can sometimes be difficult and uncertain.

She offered words of advice for younger scientists in the field. 

"The dead-ends, distractions and failures you experience in a career," she said, "can be just as important as the successes. These experiences can help you find a path to move forward." 

She also emphasized the need for strong family connections to sustain scientists in their work.

Dr. Hubel has received many accolades in her storied career, including the Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award, ISBER; Scholar of National Blood Foundation; Fellow of American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers; Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Presidential Distinguished Faculty Mentor at the  University of Minnesota.

At the end of her remarks Dr. Hubel also asked attendees to give generously to a fund recently set up to assist scientists at the Institute for Problems in Cryobiology in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The Ukranian scientists have been struggling to continue their work during the Russian invasion, and a GoFundMe account with a goal of $10,000 has been set up to help them purchase laboratory equipment and supplies. The GoFundMe campaign can be found here. 

The three-day conference concludes today.