The RNA Society Outstanding Career Researcher Award recognizes the exceptional contributions of career research scientists in advancing the field of RNA. The 2023 award goes to Sara Olson, who has been a key member in the laboratory of Dr. Brenton Graveley at the University of Connecticut for 21 years and has contributed to 38 published papers. During her career, she has spearheaded a number of important discoveries spanning a wide variety of RNA biology, including the alternative splicing mechanism of the Dscam gene, the characterization of recursive splicing and circular RNAs in Drosophila, the processing of CRISPR RNAs from a multi-cistronic precursor, and extensive characterization of the Drosophila and human transcriptomes as part of the modENCODE, ENCODE and ENCORE collaborative projects. In addition to making key scientific contributions in the Graveley lab, Ms. Olson oversees the DNA sequencing and ancillary equipment within the department, and is responsible for training all personnel on the use of the equipment

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