A biologist, who claimed that she was sickened by a genetically-engineered virus created in her lab and that she was later fired for reporting her safety concerns, was awarded $1.37 million by a federal court jury in Hartford, which found that her firing violated free speech and whistleblower laws. Becky McClain, the scientist, was employed by Pfizer from 1996 to 2005. She claimed that she acquired a paralyzing illness from a virus maintained by a co-worker.