ACS Honors Augustine, Honda, Gingrey

THE ACS 2009 Public Service Awards were given to Reps. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) and Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) and Norman R. Augustine, the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin, for their vision and leadership in science and engineering policy.

In presenting the awards at a ceremony on Capitol Hill last month, ACS President Thomas H. Lane said: "Our nation is facing an unprecedented series of complex challenges that require innovative discoveries and highly skilled workers. Sustainable solutions will not come without an unwavering commitment to science education and research and technology development. Our awardees have been tireless champions of that commitment and in making clear the connection between a strong scientific foundation and future economic vitality."

Honda, a former science teacher, is a champion for science education and recently introduced the Enhancing STEM Education Act to coordinate activities at the federal and state levels. He has been influential in shaping the Democratic innovation agenda and an active supporter of nanotechnology through research and public-private partnerships.

Gingrey, a medical doctor with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, is a champion of federal research agencies and science education, as well as an active supporter of green chemistry legislation.

Augustine chaired the National Academies committee that produced the report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." He has been chairman of the National Academy of Engineering, the Defense Science Board, and the American Red Cross and was a 16-year member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science & Technology.