Bruce Alberts Wins Vannevar Bush Award

Bruce M. Alberts, editor-in-chief of Science, has received the Vannevar Bush Award for public service in science and technology, given by the National Science Foundation's National Science Board.

Alberts was cited for his leadership in science education, international capacity building, and tireless pursuit of a "scientific temperament" for the world. "He is not only a world-class scientist, but he was out in front in terms of taking science public and engaging students at all levels," says Thomas N. Taylor, a member of the National Science Board's award selection committee. "Not only has he done that in the U.S., but he has exported that philosophy to scientists and students all over the world."

Alberts says he was flattered to be chosen for the award, and he encourages all scientists to be world citizens. "We need many more people to work on these issues, because we have a long way to go," he says. "Scientists have much more to contribute than they recognize."

The award was established in 1980 to honor the memory of Vannevar Bush, who served as science advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II and helped create the National Science Foundation.

In addition to his responsibilities at Science, Alberts is professor emeritus of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also a past president of the National Academy of Sciences and was recently appointed a U.S. science envoy by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Alberts will receive the award medal during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 4.