Honor Norma J. Nowak

Senate Resolution No. 1726 BY: Senator JACOBS HONORING Norma J. Nowak, Ph.D. upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2017 Athena Award by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to publicly commend those outstanding individuals within the State of New York whose lifelong dedication to medical research results in groundbreaking discoveries which improve the lives of those affected by the world's most devastating diseases; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Norma J. Nowak, Ph.D. upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2017 Athena Award by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership; and WHEREAS, Norma J. Nowak received this prestigious award for her steadfast support for the goals of women professionals, and providing significant and selfless assistance on their behalf; she is truly dedicated to promoting the status of women in the Buffalo Niagara region; and WHEREAS, Norma J. Nowak holds the title of Executive Director of the University at Buffalo's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; she is a highly regarded researcher and a recognized leader in the field of human genomics; and WHEREAS, Her research contributed directly to the Human Genome Project, as well as to genomic-based approaches to understanding heritable disorders and cancer; Norma J. Nowak is also the founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Empire Genomics, LLC, a molecular diagnostics firm focused on enabling personalized medicine; and WHEREAS, This brilliant woman's efforts were instrumental in obtaining more than $70 million in funding for research and infrastructure; and WHEREAS, Norma J. Nowak has authored and co-authored 144 research articles, and was the recipient of the 2008 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Team Science Award and the 2008 Thomas B. Tomasi Award from Roswell Park Cancer Institute for her outstanding achievements in science; and WHEREAS, Currently, Norma J. Nowak is a member of the Buffalo Museum of Science Board of Directors, and was recently appointed to the Empire State Stem Cell Board for New York State and the founding Board of Directors for 43North; and WHEREAS, Norma J. Nowak is also at the forefront of a new era of personalized medicine as a driving force in Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's investment in the University of Buffalo, and the New York Genome Center (NYGC) to create the Buffalo Institute for Genomics and Data Analytics (BIG); and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who enhance the quality of life in their community and have shown a long and sustained commitment to the maintenance of high standards in their profession, certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Norma J. Nowak, Ph.D. upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2017 Athena Award by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Norma J. Nowak, Ph.D.