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NSF PR 97-32 - April 30, 1997
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NSF Recognizes 1997 National Medal of Science Winners
Presidential Award is Nation's
Highest Scientific Commendation
The National Science Foundation today welcomed the
announcement by President Clinton of the nine 1997
winners of the National Medal of Science, recognizing
exemplary work in such diverse fields as human genetics,
mathematics, physical science, and cognition and learning.
The Medal of Science, which is awarded by the President,
is the United States' equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
NSF Director Neal Lane, in announcing the names of
the recipients of the nation's highest honor for groundbreaking
scientific research, noted that the Medal symbolizes
the importance of the research done by those who work
anonymously and often without monetary incentive.
"It is important that the nation publicly repay its
debt to these outstanding men and women, whose contributions
to science have helped to advance human learning,
fight disease and provide insight into the central
questions of the nature of universe and humanity's
place in it," Lane said.
One of this year's medals will be awarded posthumously
to Martin Schwarzschild, the Higgins Professor of
Astronomy Emeritus at Princeton University. Schwarzschild,
who died April 10, is being recognized for his far-reaching
insights into the theory of the evolution of stars
and into the dynamics of galaxies.
As in years past, the 1997 medals recognize scientific
accomplishments that, in many cases, have laid the
foundation for cutting edge science that continues
to make headlines today.
Medalist James D. Watson, the president of Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., for
example, is being recognized for his groundbreaking
work in discovering the double-helix structure of
DNA, the genetic building block.
Similarly, Medalist Harold S. Johnston, professor
emeritus of chemistry at the University of California
at Berkeley, is being recognized for his work in proving
that humans can make noticeable changes in the chemical
composition of Earth's atmosphere. His research laid
the groundwork for subsequent studies of artificial
depletion of the earth's protective ozone layer.
The National Medal of Science was established by Congress
in 1959. NSF administers the annual medal competition.
The Medal honors the contributions made by outstanding
individuals who have significantly advanced knowledge
in the following fields; physics, biology, mathematics,
engineering, and sociology and other behavioral sciences.
Nominations are reviewed by the President's Committee
on the National Medal of Science.
Including this year's recipients, the Medal has been
awarded to 353 distinguished scientists and engineers,
including Eugene M. Shoemaker, an astronomer and co-discoverer
of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which struck the surface
of Jupiter in 1994; Milton Friedman, an internationally
known economist who performed seminal research in
the fields of consumption analysis, monetary history
and theory; and Edward O. Wilson, who pioneered the
field of sociobiology.
The Medal of Science winners were announced simultaneously
with those of the National Medal of Technology. The
technology medal, administered by the U.S. Department
of Commerce, recognizes technological innovation and
advancement of U.S. global competitiveness.
Recipients of the 1997 National Medal of Science
William K. Estes, professor emeritus of psychology
at Harvard University, for fundamental theories of
cognition and learning that transformed the field
of experimental psychology and led to the development
of quantitative cognitive science. His pioneering
methods of quantitative modeling and an insistence
on rigor and precision established the standard for
modern psychological science. (Media Contacts:
Peter West, National Science Foundation, 703-306-1070
and Susan Green, Harvard University, 617-495-1585.)
Darleane C. Hoffman, director of the Glenn
T. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science at
the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California
at Berkeley, for her discovery of plutonium in nature
and for her numerous contributions to our understanding
of radioactive decay, notably of heavy nuclei. She
is an internationally recognized leader in nuclear
chemistry, particularly the topics of nuclear fission,
properties of actinide elements, and reactions of
heavy ions. (Media Contacts: Peter West,
National Science Foundation, 703-306-1070 and Jeffery
Kahn, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 510-486-4019.)
Harold S. Johnston, professor emeritus of chemistry
at the University of California, Berkeley, for understanding
the chemistry of nitrogen compounds and their role
and reactions in the earth's stratosphere and in urban
areas. His chemical and environmental research, along
with his commitment to science in the service of society
have resulted in pivotal contributions to the understanding
and conservation of the earth's atmosphere. (Media
Contacts: Peter West, National Science Foundation,
703-306-1070 and Bob Sanders, at the University of
California at Berkeley, 510-643-6998.)
Marshall N. Rosenbluth, professor and research
physicist, University of California, San Diego, for
his fundamental contributions to plasma physics, his
leadership in the quest to develop controlled thermonuclear
fusion, and his wide-ranging technical contributions
to national security. His theoretical studies of the
behavior of plasmas and their instabilities provided
a significant foundation for the design and development
of prototype devices for fusion power. (Media
Contacts: Peter West, National Science Foundation,
703-306-1070 and Warren Froelich, University of California,
San Diego, 619-534-8564.)
Martin Schwarzschild, Higgins Professor of
Astronomy Emeritus at Princeton University (Deceased:
April 10, 1997) for his seminal contributions
to the theory of the evolution of stars and his creative
insights into dynamics of galaxies. His research forms
the basis for much of contemporary astrophysics. The
many students he trained are among today's leaders
in the field. (Media Contacts: Peter West,
National Science Foundation, 703-306-1070 and Jackie
Savani, Princeton University, 609-258-3600.)
James D. Watson, president of the Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. for
five decades of scientific and intellectual leadership
in molecular biology, starting with his co-discovery
of the double-helix structure of DNA. He was a forceful
advocate for the Human Genome Project and shaped that
effort as the founding director of National Center
for Human Genome Research. (Media Contacts:
Peter West, National Science Foundation, 703-306-1070
and Susan Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, N.Y.
516-367-8455.)
Robert A. Weinberg, member of the Whitehead
Institute for Biomedical Research and professor of
biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
for crucial discoveries that clarified the genetic
basis of human cancers. His work has influenced virtually
all major aspects of our current understanding of
the origins of cancer, from mutations affecting certain
cellular genes, to the development of diagnostic tests
for such mutations, to the description of events that
produce cancer. (Media Contacts: Peter West,
National Science Foundation, 703-306-1070 and Seema
Kumar, the Whitehead Institute, 617-258-6153.)
George W. Wetherill, member of the department
of terrestrial magnetism at the Carnegie Institution
of Washington, for his fundamental contributions to
measuring astronomical time scales and understanding
how earth-like planets may be created in evolving
solar systems. His pioneering achievements include
developing precise radiometric techniques for dating
the age of meteorites and creating conceptual models
and computer algorithms for the accretion of a few,
solid terrestrial planets by collisions with smaller
neighbors. (Media Contacts: Peter West,
National Science Foundation, 703-306-1070 and Pat
Craig, the Carnegie Institution, 202-745-0780.)
Shing-Tung Yau, professor of mathematics at
Harvard University, for profound contributions to
mathematics that have had a great impact on fields
as diverse as topology, algebraic geometry, general
relativity and string theory. His work insightfully
combines two different mathematical approaches and
has resulted in the solution of several long-standing
and important problems in mathematics. (Media
Contacts: Peter West, National Science Foundation,
703-306-1070 and Susan Green, Harvard University,
617-495-1585.)
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