HELSINKI， May 24 (Xinhua) -- American biochemist Frances Arnold， a pioneer in the field of "directed evolution"， was awarded the seventh Millennium Technology Prize in Helsinki on Tuesday.
Arnold's method generates random mutations in DNA in the way it happens in nature. The modified genes produce proteins with new properties， from which the researcher can choose the useful ones， repeating the process until the level of performance needed by industry is achieved.
At the ceremony， Arnold stressed the importance of respecting the choice of nature.
"I find it hard to believe humans will do a much better job than nature. Because when you look at the code of life， that was not composed by human but composed by 4 million years of evolution，" she told local media.
"We are just learning how to hold a pencil when it comes to writing like that. That's really the challenge that somebody who wants to rewrite a geno to solve a problem faces."
The "directed evolution" technology uses the power of biology and evolution to solve many important problems. It often replaces less efficient and sometimes harmful technologies， according to Technology Academy Finland (TAF).
Talking to Finnish media， Arnold said the prize was recognition for the importance of sustainability， the importance of using biology to solve problems.
"Imagine replacing the chemicals industry with biological process in water， very few waste products， recycling everything. To me， that's a dream that is starting to come true，" she elaborated.
Arnold referred to the fact that modified proteins can be used to replace processes that are expensive or that utilize fossil raw materials in the production of fuels， paper products， pharmaceuticals， textiles and agricultural chemicals.
Currently， Arnold's innovation has been widely used to create enzyme catalysts to manufacture medicine. The method has already resulted in more efficient processes for producing numerous drugs， including a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Born in 1956 in the United States， Arnold is Professor of Chemical Engineering， Bioengineering and Biochemistry at Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center of California Institute of Technology.
During 2011 to 2015， she won quite a few international awards for her outstanding work in biochemistry. She is also the first woman to be elected to all three U.S. National Academies， namely the National Academy of Sciences， the National Academy of Engineering， and the Institute of Medicine.
The Millennium Technology Prize was set by the Finnish government in 2002 to honor individuals and groups which have made significant contributions in the fields of science and technology， aiming to particularly highlight innovations that assist and enrich people's everyday lives.
The prize is awarded by TAF， an independent foundation established by Finnish industries in cooperation with the State of Finland. The award， worth one million euros， was first conferred in 2004. The prize is presented every other year.
Among the previous six winners were World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee， inventor of bright blue and white LEDs Shuji Nakamura and ethical stem cell pioneer Shinya Yamanaka.
Arnold is the first woman to win the award. TAF described her as "a strong role model for women working in technology".
The head of a middle school in Jiangxi Province has been fired following a class advisor's dismissal after the school reportedly expelled a student for his whistle-blowing Luis Aparicio White Sox Jersey , China Youth Daily said today.
The class advisor has been sacked for telling the student, Liu Wenzhan Jose Abreu White Sox Jersey , that he was expelled after he accused the school of giving illegal extra lessons and taking extra tuition.
Yudu Experimental Middle School in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province claimed that it was the advisor's personal opinion and not the school's position. They asked Liu to return to class Joe Crede White Sox Jersey , which he declined to do. So far Liu has been off school for more than ten days.
Liu had written to different government departments about his school giving extra classes to students at the weekend for a fee, starting on March 7 of this year.
His class advisor soon asked Liu if he was the complainant Jeff Keppinger White Sox Jersey , which led him to believe that his personal information provided in the complaints had been disclosed to the school. Later, more of Liu's complaints came out.
Before the start of the fall semester James Shields White Sox Jersey , Liu's mother received a WeChat message from his class advisor, saying the school would not accept Liu's registration and asking him to change schools. The advisor was later dismissed for "delivering messages under the name of the school without gaining the proper prior approval".
Officials at Yudu Experimental Middle School in Ganzhou Harold Baines White Sox Jersey , Jiangxi Province, allegedly talked with Liu a few times over this matter.
Liu told Beijing Youth Daily that the head of the school visited him on Tuesday and apologized for the advisor's actions.
The school's extra weekend classes were confirmed by Yudu's county publicity department Frank Thomas White Sox Jersey , the newspaper said.
To explain his motive for filing the complaints, he said the county he is living in is a poor one and the extra tuition could be a huge burden for those poverty-stricken students. "Some of my schoolmates had to quit school because they couldn't afford the tuition Early Wynn White Sox Jersey ," he said. "I also come from the countryside so I know how they feel."
Liu is among the school's top students, allowing him to enjoy free tuition.
Investigation teams have been dispatched to Yudu Experimental Middle School and Yudu County's education bureau by the county government for further probing Derek Holland White Sox Jersey , an announcement released by Yudu's publicity department shows.
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