White House Honors Scientists

Awards

Several chemists were recognized earlier this month for their contributions to society.

President George W. Bush named the 2004 winners of the nations top science and technology honors. The eight National Medal of Science winners and seven National Medal of Technology winners include four researchers with ties to chemistry or chemical engineering.

Robert N. Clayton, the Enrico Fermi Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, is being honored for his leading contributions to cosmic chemistry, from presolar system dust to planets, according to the National Science Foundation, which administers the National Medal of Science program. The agency adds that Clayton is an exemplary role model as a mentor, teacher, and advocate for rigorous science.

Edwin N. Lightfoot, Hilldale Professor Emeritus of Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is being recognized for helping to develop the fields of biochemical and biomedical engineering, including the areas of blood oxygenation, oxygen diffusion into tissue, and bioseparations, according to NSF.

Stephen J. Lippard, Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is being lauded as an expert in the interactions between metal ions and biological molecules and the leader in inorganic chemistry in living systems, NSF says.

And Phillip A. Sharp, Institute Professor at MIT and a recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is cited for the discovery of RNA splicing. NSF notes that he is regarded as an inspirational and tireless leader and teacher, and a generous public servant. He cofounded the biopharmaceutical company Biogen Idec.

The National Medal of Technology winners include Gen-Probe, San Diego, and IBMs microelectronics division.

The White House has also announced the winners of the 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics & Engineering Mentoring. The awards honor individuals and institutions that increase participation of underrepresented groups—such as women, minorities, and people with disabilities—in science, math, and engineering education, notes NSF, which administers the program. John H. Marburger III, director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, presided over a ceremony for the awardees on Nov. 16 in Washington, D.C. Each award includes a $10,000 grant for outreach programs.

The 10 individual honorees include Tanya Furman, an associate professor in the geosciences department at Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Joseph A. Gardella Jr., a professor of chemistry and biomaterials at the State University of New York, Buffalo; and Sheryl A. Tucker, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Missouri, Columbia.