August 26, 2008

White House Releases List, but Not Citations, of Winners of National Medals

Washington — President Bush announced on Monday the recipients of the 2007 National Medal of Science and the 2007 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the country’s highest honors for scientific achievement. Nine academics were among the winners.

But the list of laureates did not come with a corresponding list of citations, and officials of the National Science Foundation, which administers the awards, told The Chronicle that it might take the White House “several more weeks” to release them.

The same NSF officers said the winners of the 2008 medals would be selected this year. In 2007 the White House named the winners of the 2005 and 2006 National Medals.

The academics who will receive a National Medal of Science for their scientific achievements, during a ceremony at the White House on September 29, are:

Fay Ajzenberg-Selove, a professor of physics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mostafa A. El-Sayed, a professor of chemistry and director of the Laser Dynamics Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Leonard Kleinrock, a distinguished professor of computer science at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Robert J. Lefkowitz, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the Duke University Medical Center.

Bert O’Malley, the chair of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Charles P. Slichter, a research professor of physics and emeritus professor of physics and chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Center for Advanced Study.

Andrew J. Viterbi, a benefactor of and engineering chair at the University of Southern California.

Two professors will received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for their achievements:

Adam Heller, a research professor of chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

Carlton Grant Willson, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

Stay tuned for more information. —Maria José Viñas

Comments

1. Rather than wait for the citations (it could be a long wait, we hear) UCLA went ahead and put up new video of Kleinrock discussing the day in 1969 when the first message was sent across the Internet. Here’s a <a href=“http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-s-leonard-kleinrock-to-receive-55898.aspx”>link to that</a> and to video of the first Internet router, now enshrined at UCLA.

   — Kevin Roderick    Aug 26, 07:28 PM    #

2. I’m pretty sure that NPR has a librarian. Maybe she could pull together a list of citations. It’s not really that hard.

   — Sue    Aug 27, 02:56 PM    #

Previous: Indian Engineering Colleges Are Warned Not to Accept Bribes
Next: Akron's Mayor Sees a Future Flush With Scholarship Money