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NSF PR 00-89 - November 13, 2000
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Clinton Names a Diverse Group of Researchers to Receive
the 2000 National Medals of Science
President Clinton today honored twelve renowned American
scientists and engineers by naming them to receive
the National Medal of Science.
In announcing the year 2000 Medal of Science honorees,
the president paid tribute to a diverse group of researchers
who set new directions in social policy, neuroscience,
biology, chemistry, bioengineering, mathematics, physics,
and earth and environmental sciences. The medals will
be presented at an awards dinner scheduled for December
1 in Washington, D.C.
"These exceptional scientists and engineers have transformed
our world and enhanced our daily lives," Clinton said.
"Their imagination and ingenuity will continue to
inspire future generations of American scientists
to remain at the cutting edge of scientific discovery
and technological innovation."
Ten of the twelve science medalists this year received
NSF support for portions of their academic careers
or research work. The group honored today includes
a Nobel Prize winner from the 1950s and another from
the 1990s.
Willis E. Lamb, a University of Arizona regents professor,
received a 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics for his experimental
work in hydrogen. His revelation of a quantum effect
that became known as the "Lamb Shift" helped to create
the new field of quantum electrodynamics, a key aspect
of modern elementary particle physics. Four decades
later, Gary Becker of the University of Chicago, received
the 1992 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in
describing the role of social forces that shape individual
economic behavior. He is well known for studies that
led to new economic analyses of racial discrimination.
The methods employed are still used to detect discrimination,
such as recent studies on practices in mortgage lending.
"We invest in people whose creative thinking leads
to the discoveries that create new bodies of knowledge
for the benefit and well-being of the American people,"
National Science Foundation (NSF) director Rita Colwell
said. "The nation can be very proud of the extraordinary
contributions these 12 stellar researchers and educators
have made to their fields, their students, their colleagues
and to the public."
Medals of Science in biological sciences will go to:
Nancy Andreasen of the University of Iowa; Peter H.
Raven, director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and
professor of botany at Washington University in St.
Louis; and Carl R. Woese, professor of microbiology
at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Andreasen is known for her discovery of the relationship
between manic-depressive illness and creativity. She
was also one of the first scientists to demonstrate
brain abnormalities in people with schizophrenia and
mood disorders. Raven, a preeminent scientist in plant
systematics and evolution, has published 550 books
and papers. He introduced, with his colleagues, the
concept of coevolution, which helped refocus much
subsequent evolutionary research based on the co-adaptation
between plants and animals. And he has directed the
Missouri Botanical Garden into a position of national
prominence as a center for the study of plant diversity.
Woese's work in proposing the notion that there are
three primary evolutionary domains into which all
living things may be classified led to a quantitative
map, or universal tree of life, by which the diversity
of all life can be assessed.
For chemistry, John D. Baldeschwieler of CalTech and
Ralph F. Hirschmann of the University of Pennsylvania
are receiving the science medal.
Baldeschwieler's work in molecular assemblies led to
practical pharmaceutical products and instrumentation.
He developed Ion Cyclotron Resonance Spectroscopy,
an important tool for chemical and biochemical analysis
that led to a new scientific field providing unique
ways to study molecular structure and reactivity.
Hirschmann's research while at Merck & Co., Inc.,
led to a host of new medicines, such as the anti-parasitic
drug Ivermec that is helping to eradicate river blindness
in the Third World. His work also led to drugs that
treat hypertension, congestive heart failure and severe
infection.
Research bioengineer Yuan-Cheng Fung of the University
of California at San Diego made major contributions
to the field of aeroelasticity, which formed the defining
ideas in an important area of aerospace engineering.
In the late 1960s, he conducted pioneering research
in biomechanics by applying his knowledge of mechanics
to the study of biological tissues. Results of his
work are helping to solve important biomedical problems.
Mathematicians John Griggs Thompson of the University
of Florida and Karen K. Uhlenbeck of the University
of Texas Austin are receiving medals for their theoretical
work. Thompson is considered a world leader in group
theory, the most fundamental of all algebraic structures.
Arising from studies of symmetry in nature, the first
application of group theory was used in solving polynomial
equations. In 1970, Thompson was awarded mathematics'
top international prize, the Fields Medal, for his
work in classifying all of the finite simple groups.
Uhlenbeck stands out as one of the founders of geometry
based on analytical methods and is a leader in her
field as a mentor for women and minorities in mathematics
education.
In physics, Jeremiah P. Ostriker of Princeton University
is receiving a medal for contributions that advanced
the understanding of the dynamics of galaxies and
star clusters, including the existence of large quantities
of dark matter. Medalist Gilbert F. White, a professor
of geography at the University of Colorado, has had
an impact on the nation's public policy for over five
decades regarding uses of floodplains and non-structural
approaches to reduce damage from flooding and other
natural hazards.
NSF administers the Medals of Science for the White
House.
For more information see:
Attachment
Summary of Individual Achievements - Year 2000 Medals
of Science
Behavioral/Social Sciences
Gary Becker, University Professor of Economics
and Sociology, University of Chicago - Becker
pioneered the economic analysis of racial discrimination
and led recent developments in how social forces shape
individual economic behavior. (Media Contacts:
Bill Noxon, National Science Foundation, 703-292-8070
wnoxon@nsf.gov,
Bill Harms, 773-702-8356, w-harms@uchicago.edu)
Biological Sciences
Nancy C. Andreasen, Andrew H. Woods Chair
of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City -
Andreasen's pivotal contributions included joining
behavioral science with the technologies of neuroscience
and neuroimaging in order to understand the processes
such as memory and creativity. (Media Contacts:
Bill Noxon, NSF, and Tom Moore, 319-356-3945, thomas-moore@uiowa.edu)
Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical
Garden and Englemann Professor of Botany, Washington
University in St. Louis - Raven has become one
of the world's leading authorities on plant systematics
and evolution, introduced the concept of coevolution
and is a leader in international efforts to preserve
biodiversity. (Media Contacts: Bill Noxon,
NSF, Tony Fitzpatrick, 314-935-5272, tony_fitzpatrick@aismail.wustl.edu,
and Anne Enright Shepherd 314-577-5142, anne.shepherd@mobot.org)
Carl R. Woese, Stanley O. Ikenberry Professor
of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Woese's molecular studies of RNA sequences revolutionized
our view of life's history and its diversity. Using
ribosomal RNA comparisons, his research led to the
formulation of a universal tree of life, a quantitative
map of evolutionary diversity. (Media Contacts:
Bill Noxon, NSF, and Jim Barlow, 217-333-5802, b-james3@uiuc.edu)
Chemistry
John D. Baldeschwieler, J. Stanley Johnson
Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology
- Baldeschwieler's developments in molecular assemblies
translated into practical pharmaceutical and instrumentation
products. His work in developing new physical methods
for the study of biological systems has led, for example,
to the application of targeted delivery of pharmaceuticals
for cancer diagnosis and therapy. (Media Contacts:
Bill Noxon, NSF, and Robert Tindol, 626-395-3631,
tindol@caltech.edu)
Ralph F. Hirschmann, Rao Makineni Professor
of Bio-organic Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia - Hirschmann's work in several fields
of chemistry with Merck & Co., Inc., led to the development
of many life-saving medicines. As the University of
Pennsylvania's first Research Professor in Chemistry,
he established a collaborative research program between
the university and industry leading to continued discoveries
of biomedical importance. (Media Contacts:
Bill Noxon, NSF, and Steve Bradt, University of Pennsylvania,
215-573-6604, (bradt@pobox.upenn.edu)
Engineering
Yuan-Cheng B. Fung, Professor Emeritus, Research
Bioengineer, University of California at San Diego
- Fung's theory of aeroelasticity formed the defining
ideas in how aero-structures interact with aerodynamic
flows, an important contribution to aerospace engineering.
Applying analytical methods of mechanics to the study
of biological tissues, he contributed new concepts
in the field of biomechanics in which engineering
principles are used to solve important biomedical
problems. (Media Contacts: Bill Noxon, NSF,
and Denine Hagen, 858-534-2920, dhagen@ucsd.edu)
Mathematics
John Griggs Thompson, Graduate Research Professor
of Mathematics, University of Florida, Gainesville
- Thompson is considered one of the foremost group
theorists of all time, and his name is associated
with one of the monumental achievements of the 20th
Century - the classification of all finite simple
groups. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1970, the
highest international honor in mathematics, regarded
by some as the mathematics equivalent to a Nobel Prize.
(Media Contacts: Bill Noxon, NSF, and Steve
Orlando, 352-392-0186, sfo@ufl.edu)
Karen K. Uhlenbeck, Sid W. Richardson Foundation
Chair in Mathematics, University of Texas - Austin
- Uhlenbeck made pioneering contributions to global
analysis and gauge theory that resulted in advances
in mathematical physics and the theory of partial
differential equations. She is considered a founder
of geometry based on analytical methods. She is also
a leader in encouraging young women to study mathematics.
(Media Contacts: Bill Noxon, NSF, and Mary
Lenz, 512-471-3046, mary@opa.wwh.utexas.edu)
Physical Sciences
Willis E. Lamb, Regents Professor, University
of Arizona - Lamb won the 1955 Nobel Prize for
experimental work on hydrogen that revealed a new
relativistic quantum effect. His work became one of
the foundations of quantum electrodynamics. He also
pioneered the field of laser physics. (Media
Contacts: Bill Noxon, NSF, and Lori Stiles, 520-626-4402,
stiles@uanews.org)
Jeremiah P. Ostriker, Provost, and Charles
A. Young Professor of Astronomy and Provost, Princeton
University - Ostriker's contributions in astrophysics
revolutionized concepts of the nature of pulsars,
the sizes and masses of galaxies and the nature and
distribution of matter in the universe. (Media
Contacts: Bill Noxon, NSF, and Lauren Robinson
Brown, 609-258-3601, lauren@princeton.edu)
Gilbert F. White, Gustavson Distinguished
Professor Emeritus of Geography, Institute of Behavioral
Science, University of Colorado - White achieved
national attention for his approaches on using non-structural
means to reduce damage from flooding. His research
on the use of floodplains and their full range of
social costs and benefits in different locales provided
the basis for a new research paradigm and new public
policy. (Media Contacts: Bill Noxon, NSF,
and Peter Caughey, 303-492-4007, caughey@spot.colorado.edu)
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