Known as “the father of DNA barcoding,” Hebert receives the medal in recognition of groundbreaking work creating a technology that identifies species using a tiny segment of DNA, in the same way a barcode identifies a product at a supermarket.
The technology, which has helped make species identification faster, more accurate, and less expensive than previous methods, now underpins a global effort to catalogue all life on Earth.
The Franklin Institute, an organization dedicated to promoting science and innovation, has awarded Benjamin Franklin medals since 1824 to world-changing scientists, engineers, inventors, and industrialists. The medal is the oldest comprehensive science and technology award in the United States with past laureates including Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, and both Marie and Pierre Curie.
Hebert is the fourth Canadian to receive the honour.
“It is thrilling to receive the 2024 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science,” Hebert said. “Importantly, this award endorses a planetary research program led by Canada that is providing humanity with the knowledge required to better insulate biodiversity from global change.”
Building the largest DNA bank for biodiversity
Hebert is the founder and CEO of the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
Hebert is the founder and CEO of the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG) within the College of Biological Science at U of G. He has raised $160 million over the past 20 years to develop the infrastructure and to support the staff to advance its capacity to lead a major scientific program.
Reflecting this effort, the CBG is the world’s first digital biodiversity archive, housing the largest DNA bank for biodiversity, a library of more than 9 million images and sequences from more than 15 million specimens.
“It is very exciting to see one of our own honoured with one of the most prestigious awards in science,” said Dr. Charlotte Yates, U of G president and vice-chancellor. “From specialists in genomics such as Dr. Hebert, to experts in agriculture, engineering, One Health and more – our academic and research excellence reflects the breadth of our talent here at U of G. I am so grateful to work alongside truly world-class faculty every day.”
The technology Hebert conceived and developed has become a revolutionary identification system with far-reaching applications. It is allowing scientists to identify all species on the planet through the not-for-profit International Barcode of Life (iBOL) consortium, headquartered at the CBG. The consortium, of which Hebert is scientific director, unites more than 1,000 researchers in 41 countries with a shared mission to build the global DNA barcode reference library.
The project is set to become the largest biodiversity science project ever undertaken, with researchers using DNA barcoding to identify more species before 2030 than in the past 275 years using the traditional Linnaean taxonomic system.
“This award is a much-deserved recognition of Dr. Hebert’s completely transformative work. DNA barcoding technology has literally changed how we see and know life on Earth,” said Dr. Rene Van Acker, interim vice-president research. “He leads the world’s largest life sciences big data project and has created fundamental knowledge for all efforts to sustain and improve life.”
Largest biodiversity science project ever undertaken
The Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph holds thousands of insect specimens
DNA barcoding has found uses in many applications, including pest and disease control, detecting food fraud, aiding resource management and supporting conservation programs.
Metabarcoding is an innovative approach that augments DNA barcoding by delving into the genetic makeup of entire ecosystems. Scientists can use metabarcoding to simultaneously identify multiple species in a single soil, water or air sample and compare them against a DNA reference library. This allows for a comprehensive understanding of ecological dynamics, aiding in biodiversity assessments, ecosystem monitoring and even tracking the spread of invasive species, or disease vectors.
Aside from his research contributions, Hebert has inspired and mentored many students. Over 30 years, he exposed nearly 1,000 undergraduate students to research through his field courses in the Canadian Arctic, Australia, and Jamaica.
He has also mentored 57 graduate students and 56 postdoctoral fellows as a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biodiversity. Reflecting his commitment to excellence and innovation, more than 40 of students now hold faculty positions, leaving an indelible mark on the scientific community.
“Dr. Hebert has provided many students, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, with unparalleled hands-on opportunities at the forefront of biodiversity, ecology, and evolutionary science,” said Dr. Mazyar Fallah, dean of the College of Biological Science.
“Through the CBG, our students learn innovative analytical and technical skills, positioning them as trailblazers in biodiversity research to improve life and secure bright futures in science.”
An award ceremony will take place April 18, 2024 at The Franklin Institute, a science museum in Philadelphia, where Hebert will be formally honoured.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
