Mary Osborn helped pioneer immunofluorescence microscopy, and in her images, the three-dimensional cells dance across a black screen in flecks of colored light, helping scientists see new aspects to diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cancer. Her diligence and focus in pursuing this technology for understanding cell structures has provided her a place among Europe's most prominent scientists: She ranked among the most highly cited researchers during the early decades of the technology's development. Osborn has also received several awards, including the Carl Zeiss Prize and the L'Oreal/UNESCO Prize for Women in Science.