Feynman Prizes Awarded

The 2005 Foresight Institute Feynman Prizes, named in honor of physicist Richard P. Feynman, were presented by the Foresight Nanotech Institute in October 2005 at the 13th Foresight Conference Advancing Beneficial Nanotechnology: Focusing on the Cutting Edge.

Christian Joachim, of the National Center for Scientific Research, France, was awarded the Feynman Prize for theoretical work. He was honored for developing theoretical tools and establishing the principles for the design of a wide variety of single molecular functional nanomachines.

Christian Schafmeister, of the University of Pittsburgh, received the Feynman Prize for experimental work for his research in developing a novel technology synthesizing macromolecules of intermediate sizes with designed shapes and functions.

Rocky Rawstern, nanotechnology editor of the website Nanotechnology Now, received the Foresight Institute Prize in Communication for helping to educate the public about the long-term benefits of and concerns about nanotechnology.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) was the inaugural honoree of the Foresight Institute Government Prize. He was one of the key legislators who initiated the Nanotechnology Research & Development Act, signed by President Bush in 2003.

Christopher Levins, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, was awarded the Foresight Distinguished Student Award. Levins is working on a systematic methodology for the design and synthesis of rigid macromolecular scaffolds capable of displaying chemical functionality in three-dimensional space.