PRESS RELEASE Related Press Releases For Immediate Release Date: January 24, 2004

For More Information:  Barbara Belmont 626 791-7689

The National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) is pleased to announce that Rochelle Diamond will be the first recipient of its Walt Westman Award. Named after one of NOGLSTP’s founders, this award is the highest national award our organization gives to a NOGLSTP member in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advancement of NOGLSTP’s growth.  Ms. Diamond will receive this at a ceremony during the NOGLSTP Reception at the upcoming 2004 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle on February 15, 4-6 pm, at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel.

Ms. Diamond, a Member of the Professional Staff at California Institute of Technology, is Manager of the Flow Cytometry/Cell Sorting Facility and Rothenberg Group Developmental Immunology Laboratory.  She has been a NOGLSTP member since 1983. After she became Chair of the organization in 1989, Ms. Diamond guided NOGLSTP through the non-profit application process and ultimate affiliation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  Throughout her relationship with NOGLSTP, Ms. Diamond has spearheaded all of NOGLSTP scientific symposia presented at the annual AAAS meetings, and most of the NOGLSTP educational pamphlets.  She was responsible for NOGLSTP advising the federal government General Accounting Office on security clearance issues and demographics, and involvement with AAAS Scientific Freedom Responsibility and the Law subcommittee (advising on q-friendly convention sites). Rochelle Diamond has been a visionary NOGLSTP leader for the past 15 years, exemplifying the purpose of the Walt Westman Award, and bringing great honor to its very existence.

At the same awards ceremony, NOGLSTP will present two other awards – the GLBT Award and the Institution/Organization Award.  The NOGLSTP GLBT Award honors a lesbigaytrans engineer, scientist, or educator who has made outstanding contributions in their field, and recognizes sustained contributions in design, production, management, education, or research. Dr. Larry Wagner, a physical chemist and Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Texas Instruments,  has been selected to receive the 2004 NOGLSTP GLBT Award.  The NOGLSTP Institution/Organization Award honors the institution or organization which has demonstrated outstanding support for NOGLSTP and its programs or objectives. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has been selected to receive the 2004 NOGLSTP Institution/Organization Award.   Dr. Alan Leshner, CEO of AAAS, will accept this award on behalf of AAAS.