The ISMAR Prize
( sponsored by Cambridge Isotopes )

The International Society of Magnetic Resonance awards a prize every three years for outstanding achievement in the field of magnetic resonance.

Seiji Ogawa is the winner of the 2007 ISMAR Prize. The presentation will be made at the ISMAR Conference in Taiwan on October 14^th, 2007.

Ogawa is widely recognized for his seminal contributions to NMR, particularly his discovery in 1990 of the BOLD [Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent] contrast method that has revolutionized medical imaging as both a research and clinical tool. He used the magnetic susceptibility difference between oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in the blood to demonstrate contrast in NMR signals from the brain as the blood feeds active neurons. Functional MRI (fMRI) using BOLD is now employed as the principal technique to map the visual, auditory and sensory regions for research in neurobiology and psychology. It is used in surgical planning to identify the motor cortex.

ISMAR Young Investigator Award

ISMAR is pleased to announce the new ISMAR Young Investigator Award. Researchers under 41 years of age on August 31, 2007 are eligible. The Award will be based on a single research achievement, and the winner will be selected from poster submissions to ISMAR-2007. Based on submitted abstracts, four finalists will be selected to present their work in a plenary session of short (10-15 minute) presentations, with the winner selected on the basis of the oral presentation. The title ISMAR Young Investigator Award Finalist will be awarded to all four candidates selected. The winner of the contest will also receive a US$500 monetary award, sponsored by Spectra Gases. A young researcher who wishes to participate in the ISMAR Young Investigator Contest should indicate so when submitting a poster abstract.