(Philadelphia, PA - October, 2003) Most scientists are dependent upon instrumentation and specialized software in the lab, but rarely is there acknowledgment of excellence for this equipment. Last year, The Scientist initiated the Readers' Choice Awards as an opportunity for researchers to give due recognition to the tools and technology that enable their livelihood.
The credibility for the awards is generated by the scientific community casting the deciding votes. Readers of The Scientist, using their experience as product users, voted on their favorite products taking into consideration practical factors such as reliability, ease of use, adaptability, speed of response and cost-effectiveness.
Thousands of votes were tallied, and the finalists in 10 categories have been determined.
The finalists are:
Best instrument under $25,000 (USD)
Applied Biosystems GeneAmp PCR System 9700
Eppendorf Centrifuge 5810 R
MJ Research PTC-100 Peltier Thermal Cycler
Best instrument between $25,000 and $100,000 (USD)
Applied Biosystems ABI PRISM 7900HT Sequence Detection System
Amersham Biosciences AKTA FPLC
Kodak Image Station 2000R
Zeiss Axioplan 2 Imaging
Best instrument over $100,000 (USD)
Applied Biosystems ABI PRISM 3100 Genetic Analyzer
Affymetrix GeneChip Scanner 3000
Zeiss LSM 510 META Laser Scanning Microscope
Best software package
Adobe Photoshop
EndNote (ISI ResearchSoft)
Microsoft PowerPoint
Best research kit manufacturer
Amersham Biosciences
Invitrogen
QIAGEN
Promega
Most helpful or responsive customer support
Amersham Biosciences
Invitrogen
QIAGEN
Most informative or best-designed life science Web site
Ambion
Invitrogen
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
"Coolest" instrument
Apple Power Mac G5
Eppendorf MiniSpin plus Personal Centrifuge
Roche LightCycler Instrument
Most useful gadget
Eppendorf Research ergonomic pipettes
Gilson Pipetman
Rainin 12-channel pipette
Best science book
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson (Touchstone Books, 2001)
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley (HarperCollins; 2000)
Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox (HarperCollins; 2002)
The winners in each category will be announced in the December 15, 2003 issue of The Scientist, and formally awarded at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in San Francisco.
To access the full-text article on the Readers' Choice Awards including details for all winning companies and products, log on to www.the-scientist.com.
For a copy of the issue, call or email Hal Cohen, Marketing Associate at (215) 386-9601 x.3018 or hcohen@the-scientist.com