Note: Institutions listed are those with which the recipients were affiliated at the time of the Award.

2004

Kristi Anseth

Tisone Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Assistant Investigator
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
University of Colorado, Boulder
and Arden Bement
Acting Director, National Science Foundation

""For her research at the interface of biology and engineering, resulting in the design of innovative biomaterials that significantly facilitate tissue engineering and regeneration."
"

2003

Angelika Amon

MIT , accepting Alan T. Waterman Award from Rita Colwell, NSF Director

"For her seminal contributions to understanding how cells orchestrate the segregation of their chromosomes during cell division, the key process of life "

2002

Erich D. Jarvis

Associate Professor
Department of Neurobiology
Duke University Medical Center and Rita Colwell, NSF Director

"For his use of gene expression as a tool to map brain fuctional systems and to identify parts of the brain involved in perceiving, learning and producing vocal communication"

2001

Vahid Tarokh

Associate Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rita Colwell, NSF Director

"For the invention of space-time coding techniques that produce dramatic gains in the spectral efficiency of wireless digital communication systems." 

2000

Jennifer A. Doudna

Professor, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University and Assistant Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rita Colwell, NSF Director

"For innovative research that led to the development of a technique that facilitates crystallization of large RNA molecules; for determining the crystal structures of catalytic RNA molecules and an RNA molecule that forms the ribonucleoproteincore of the signalr econgition particle; and for deciphering structural features of those molecules that permit a greater understanding of the mechanistic basis of RNA function in both catalysis and protein synthesis."

1999

Chaitan S. Khosla

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering,
Chemistry, and Biochemistry
Stanford University and Rita Colwell, NSF Director

"For his outstanding work in elucidating the mechanisms of enzyme biocatalysis of polyketides, thereby opening an exciting potential route to new drug discovery."

1998

Dr. Christopher C. Cummins

Department of Chemistry
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Neal Lane, NSF Director

"For innovative research in transition-metal activation of small molecules, including the discovery of reactions to cleave nitrogen-nitrogen multiple bonds under mild conditions. His revolutionary approach to chemical reactivity has answered key questions and furthered development in catalyst design and nitrogen fixation."

1997

Dr. Eric Cornell

Department of Physics University of Colorado at Boulder and Fellow, National Institute of Standards and Technology

"For his leading role in the creation of Bose-Einstein condensation in a gas, and for innovations in the manipulation, trapping and cooling of atoms that led to the realization of this new state of matter."

1996

Dr. Robert M. Waymouth

Department of Chemistry Stanford University and Neal Lane, NSF Director

"For his seminal contributions to the design of well-defined organometallic catalysts for the synthesis of novel polymers, including chiral cyclopolymers and stereoblock polyolefins. The development of catalysts which change their structure as they work has established a new paradigm in the synthesis of block-polymers."

1995

Dr. Matthew P. A. Fisher

Institute for Theoretical Physics University of California-Santa Barbara and Neal Lane, NSF Director

"For his broad and original contributions to the theory of the quantum dymanics of macroscopic systems and quantum phase transitions, specifically his prediction of a vortex glass phase in high temperature superconductors, his studies of the superconductor-insulator transition and is seminal work on quantum transport in Luttinger liquids."

1994

Dr. Gang Tian

Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
New York University and Neal Lane, NSF Director

"For his deep understanding and penetrating insights in the field of complex differential geometry, including his solution of the problem of existence of Kahler-Einstein metrics on complex surfaces, his proof that the moduli space for Kahler-Einstein metrics with zero first Chern class is nonsingular, and his proof of the stability of algebraic manifolds by using differential geometric methods."

1993

Dr. Deborah L. Penry

Department of Integrative Biology University of California, Berkeley

"For her innovative applications of chemical engineering principles and chemical-reactor theory in analysis of the process of digestion in marine invertebrates, filling an important gap in existing ecological theory dealing with animals strategies for acquiring energy and nutrients. Her research is important to understanding the cycling of materials in the sea--in particular the global carbon cycle and global climate change cycles."

1992

Dr. Shrinivas R. Kulkarni

Radio Astronomy
California Institute of Technology

"For his major contributions to the understanding of diffuse interstellar medium and the physics and evolution of neutron star pulsars and x-ray binary stars. For his leading role in the discovery of fast pulsars, a major new phenomenon, and in the development of optical and radio spatial interferometry."

1991

Dr. Herbert Edelsbrunner

Professor of Computer Science
Department of Computer Science
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign

"For his pioneering research in computational geometry through which he has made fundamental contributions to the theory of computer science and to discrete mathematics. His work has solved open problems, built rich theoretical structures, developed algorithmic paradigms, produced robust implementations of geometric algorithms, and brought computational geometry in close touch with application areas in computer technology."

1990

Dr. Mark E. Davis

Professor of Chemical Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
& State University

"For his pioneering work in catalytic materials, catalysis, and reaction engineering, including the first synthesis of a molecular sieve with pores larger than 1 nanometer and the invention of supported aqueous-phase catalysts; each of these accomplishments opens up a new and potentially important area in catalytic science and technology, and also has implications for separations technology and environmental control."

1989

Dr. Richard H. Scheller

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Stanford University

"For his work leading to the development of recombinant DNA technologies, and for his current research which has illuminated cellular and molecular mechanisms used to regulate animal behavior. These basic studies will lead to a better understanding of the molecular basis of brain function and should, in the future, help in the understanding of major psychiatric illnesses."

1988

Dr. Peter G. Schultz

Professor of Chemistry
University of California, Berkeley

1987

Dr. Lawrence H. Summers

Professor of Economics
Harvard University

"For outstanding contributions to economic research on unemployment, taxation of capital, savings behavior and macroeconomic activity. His work combines powerful analytic insights and imaginative econometric methods aimed at subjects of fundamental National importance."

1986

Dr. Edward Witten

Professor of Physics
Princeton University

"For path-opening contributions to the physics of elementary particles and gravity, to the search unification, and to the imaginative pursuit of the implications for cosmology."

1985

Dr. Jacqueline K. Barton

Professor of Chemistry
Columbia University

"For her imaginative and significant work in bioinorganic chemistry. Her use of small inorganic molecules to recognize and modify DNA sites in very specific ways has led to two major discoveries--enantiomeric selectivity in binding t DNA helices of different handedness, and Z-DNA "punctuation" at the end of genes--with important implications for drug design and for the theory of gene expression."

1984

Dr. Harvey M. Friedman

Professor of Mathematics
Ohio State University

"For his revitalization of the foundations of mathematics, his penetrating investigations into the Godel incompleteness phenomena, and his fundamental contributions to virtually all areas of mathematical loqic."

1983

Dr. Corey S. Goodman

Associate Professor of Biology
Stanford University

"For his contributions to our understanding of the development of the nervous system. His imaginative choice of model systems and modern technologies are enabling him to discover how individual nerve cells acquire their unique identities and interact with the appropriate cells during embryogenesis."

1982

Dr. Richard Axel

Institute of Cancer Research
Columbia University

"For devising a novel procedure for introducing virtually any gene into mammalian cells. Gene transfer now permits the analysis of the mechanisms regulating the expression of genes in an appropriate cellular environment. This information is prerequisite to a rational approach towards gene therapy."

1981

Dr. W. Clark Still

Associate Professor of Chemistry
Columbia University

"For showing that fundamental conformational principles can be used in organic synthesis to describe nonrigid molecular arrays and for the design of chemical reactions which use such arrays to control the three-dimensional structure of flexible molecules."

1980

Dr. Roy F. Schwitters

Professor of Physics
Harvard University

"For his contributions to the understanding of the basic structure of matter through experiments that discovered and explored an entirely new collection of subatomic particles. The experiments led to the interpretation of the new particles as being composed of simpler constituents, possessing a new property of matter."

1979

Dr. William P. Thurston

Professor of Mathematics
Princeton University

"In recognition of his achievements in introducing revolutionary new geometrical methods in the theory of foliations, function theory and topology."

1978

Dr. Richard A. Muller

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and Space Sciences Laboratory
University of California, Berkeley

"For his original and innovative research, which has led to important discoveries and inventions in diverse areas of physics, including astrophysics, radioisotope dating and optics."

1977

Dr. J. William Schopf

Professor of Paleobiology
University of California, Los Angeles

"For his outstanding research on Precambrian biotas. His work on these delicate and ancient fossil microorganisms will contribute significantly to the knowledge of the origin of life and the evolution of the earliest known biotas of the world."

1976

Dr. Charles L. Fefferman

Professor of Mathematics
Princeton University

"For his research in Fourier analysis, partial differential equations and several complex variables which have brought fresh insight and renewed vigor to classical areas of mathematics and contributed signally to the advancement of modern mathematical analysis."