National Medal of Science

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National Medal of Science

The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
to individuals in science

Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
and engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....
who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology

Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
, chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
, engineering

Engineering

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
and physics

Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
. The twelve member presidential Committee on the National Medal of Science is responsible for selecting award recipients and is administered by the National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering....
(NSF).

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Encyclopedia

The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States

President of the United States

Science

Engineering

Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
, chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
, engineering

Engineering

Mathematics

Physics

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering....
(NSF). As of February 13, 2006, there have been 425 recipients of the medal. On 27 July 2007, President Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
presented the 2005 and 2006 medals.

History

The National Medal of Science was established on August 25, 1959, by an act of the Congress of the United States under Public Law 86-209. The medal was originally to honor scientists in the fields of the "physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences." The Committee on the National Medal of Science was established on August 23, 1961 by executive order 10961 of former president John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F....
.

On January 7, 1979, the American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Association for the Advancement of Science

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation between scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting science education and science outreach for the betterment of all humanity....
(AAAS) passed a resolution proposing that the medal be expanded to include the social and behavioral sciences. In response, Senator Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy is the Senior Senator United States Senate from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party . In office since November 1962, Kennedy is the list of current United States Senators by seniority member of the Senate, after President pro tempore of the United States Senate Robert Byrd of West Virginia....
introduced the Science and Technology Equal Opportunities Act into the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
on March 7, 1979, expanding the medal to include these scientific disciplines as well. President Jimmy Carter's

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
signature enacted this change as Public Law 96-516 on December 12, 1980.

In 1992, the National Science Foundation signed a letter of agreement with the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation that made the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation the metaorganization over both the National Medal of Science and the very similar National Medal of Technology

National Medal of Technology

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators that have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology....
.

The first National Medal of Science was awarded on February 18, 1963, for the year 1962 by President John F. Kennedy to Theodore von Kármán

Theodore von Karman

Theodore von K?rm?n was a Hungarian people-United States engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics....
for his work at the Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a List of federally funded research and development centers and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, California, United States....
. The citation accompanying von Kármán's award reads:

For his leadership in the science and engineering basic to aeronautics; for his effective teaching and related contributions in many fields of mechanics, for his distinguished counsel to the Armed Services, and for his promoting international cooperation in science and engineering.

Although Public Law 86-209 provides for 20 recipients of the medal per year, it is typical for approximately 12–15 accomplished scientists and engineers to receive this distinction each year. There have been 6 years where no National Medals of Science were awarded between 1962 and 2004. Those years were: 1985, 1984, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1972 and 1971. As of February 13, 2006, there have been a total of 425 individuals recognized.

The award's ceremony is organized by the Office of Science and Technlogy Policy and takes place at the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., it was built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian architecture and has been the executive residence of every U.S....
.

Award process

Each year the National Science Foundation sends out a call to the scientific community for the nomination of new candidates for the National Medal of Science. Individuals are nominated by their peers with each nomination requiring three letters of support from individuals in science and technology. Nominations are then sent to the Committee of the National Medal of Science which is a board composed of fourteen presidential appointees comprising twelve scientists, and two ex officio members - the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy

Office of Science and Technology Policy

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is an office in the Executive Office of the President of the United States , established by United States Congress on May 11, 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President of the United States on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs....
(OSTP) and the president of the National Academy of Sciences

United States National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine."...
(NAS).

According to the Committee, successful candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are applying for U.S. citizenship that have done work of significantly outstanding merit or that has had a major impact on scientific thought in their field. The Committee also values those who promote the general advancement of science and individuals who have influenced science education, although these traits are less important than groundbreaking or thought-provoking research. The nomination of a candidate is effective for three years; at the end of three years, the candidates peers are allowed to renominate the candidate. The Committee makes their recommendations to the President for the final awarding decision.

The Medal

The National Medal of Science depicts Man, surrounded by earth, sea, and sky, contemplating and struggling to understand Nature. The crystal in his hand represents the universal order and also suggests the basic unit of living things. The formula being outlined in the sand symbolizes scientific abstraction.

Notable laureates

Year	Laureate	Citation
2008	Mostafa El-Sayed Mostafa El-Sayed Mostafa A. El-Sayed is an Egyptian-American chemical physicist, a leading nanoscience researcher, a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and a National Medal of Science laureate....	"for his seminal and creative contributions to our understanding of the electronic and optical properties of nano-materials and to their applications in nano-catalysis and nano-medicine, for his humanitarian efforts of exchange among countries and for his role in developing the scientific leadership of tomorrow."
2007	Leonard Kleinrock Leonard Kleinrock Leonard Kleinrock, Ph.D. is a computer scientist, and a professor of computer science at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, who made several important contributions to the field of computer networking, in particular to the theoretical side of computer networking....	"For his fundamental contributions to the mathematical theory of modern data networks, and for the functional specification of packet switching, which is the foundation of Internet technology. His mentoring of generations of students has led to the commercialization of technologies that have transformed the world."
2003	G. Brent Dalrymple	"For his pioneering work in determining the geomagnetic polarity reversal timescale; a discovery that led to the theory of plate tectonics."
1997	James D. Watson James D. Watson James Dewey Watson is an American molecular biology, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA. Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer...	"For five decades of scientific and intellectual leadership in molecular biology, ranging from his co-discovery of the double helical structure of DNA to the launching of the Human Genome Project Human Genome Project The Human Genome Project was an international scientific research project with a primary goal to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA and to identify and map the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint... ."
1991	G. Evelyn Hutchinson G. Evelyn Hutchinson George Evelyn Hutchinson was an English Americans zoologist known for his studies of freshwater lakes and considered the father of American limnology....	(posthumously)
1990	Stephen Cole Kleene Stephen Cole Kleene Stephen Cole Kleene was an United States mathematician who helped lay the foundations for theoretical computer science. One of many distinguished students of Alonzo Church, Kleene, along with Alan Turing, Emil Post, and others, is best known as a founder of the branch of mathematical logic known as recursion theory....	"For his leadership in the theory of recursion and effective computability and for developing it into a deep and broad field of mathematical research."
1990	Leonid Hurwicz Leonid Hurwicz Leonid "Leo" Hurwicz was an United States economist and mathematician of Poles and Jewish people descent. He originated incentive compatibility and mechanism design, which show how desired outcomes are achieved in economics, social science and political science....	"For his pioneering work on the theory of modern decentralized allocation mechanisms."
1988	George W Housner	"For his profound and decisive influence on the development of earthquake engineering Earthquake engineering Earthquake engineering is the study of the behavior of buildings and structures subject to seismic loading. It is a subset of both structural engineering and civil engineering.... worldwide."
1987	James Van Allen James Van Allen James Alfred Van Allen was an United States space scientist at the University of Iowa. The Van Allen radiation belts were named after him, following the 1958 satellite missions in which Van Allen had argued that a Geiger counter should be used to detect charged Subatomic particles....	"For his central role in the exploration of outer space Space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft.... , including the discoveries of the magnetosphere Magnetosphere A magnetosphere is a highly magnetized region around and possessed by an astronomical object. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the magnetized planets Mercury , Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.... s of Earth Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather... , Jupiter, and Saturn."
1986	Chen-Ning Yang	"For his pathbreaking research in theoretical physics Theoretical physics Theoretical physics employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics in an attempt to explain experimental data taken of the natural world.... , which he has influenced for many years by his profound questions and deep mathematical insight. His ideas have had great impact not only on theoretical developments but also on experiments in elementary particles and condensed matter Condensed Matter There are at least 2 publications named Condensed Matter.... ."
1976	Edward O. Wilson	"For his pioneering work on the organization of insect societies and the evolution of social behavior among insects and other animals."
1975	Wernher von Braun Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun , a Germans rocket physicist and astronautics engineer, became one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States....	"For his work in making the liquid-fuel rocket Rocket A rocket or rocket vehicle is a missile, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust by the Reaction of the rocket to the ejection of fast moving fluid exhaust from a rocket engine.... a practical launch vehicle and for individual contributions to a series of advanced space vehicles, culminating in the Saturn Saturn (rocket family) The Saturn family of rockets were developed by a team of mostly German rocket scientists led by Wernher von Braun to launch heavy payloads to Earth orbit and beyond.... series that made the Apollo program possible."*
1974	Kurt Gödel Kurt Gödel Kurt G?del was an Austrian-United States logician, mathematician and philosopher. One of the most significant logicians of all time, G?del made an immense impact upon scientific and philosophical thinking in the 20th century, a time when many, such as Bertrand Russell, A....	"For laying the foundation for today's flourishing study of mathematical logic Logic Logic is the study of the principles of valid demonstration and inference. Logic is a branch of philosophy, a part of the classical Trivium . The word derives from Greek language ?????? , fem.... ."
1974	Linus Pauling Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling was an United States scientist, peace activist, author and list of educators. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists in any field of the 20th century....	"For the extraordinary scope and power of his imagination, which has led to basic contributions in such diverse fields as structural chemistry and the nature of chemical bonding, molecular biology Molecular biology Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecule level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry.... , immunology Immunology Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with, among other things, the physiology functioning of the immune system in states of both health and disease; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the physical, chemical an... , and the nature of genetic diseases Genetic disorder A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes. While some diseases, such as cancer, are due in part to a genetic disorders, they can also be caused by Environment factors.... ."
1973	Carl Djerassi Carl Djerassi Carl Djerassi , is a chemistry, novelist, and playwright best known for his contribution to the development of the combined oral contraceptive pill ....	"In recognition of his major contributions to the elucidation of the complex chemistry Chemistry Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions.... of the steroid Steroid A steroid is a terpenoid lipid characterized by a carbon skeleton with four fused rings, generally arranged in a 6-6-6-5 fashion.Steroids vary by the functional groups attached to these rings and the oxidation state of the rings.... hormones and to the application of these compounds to medicinal chemistry Medicinal chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacology involved with drug design, organic synthesis and developing pharmaceutical medication.... and population control Population control Population control is the practice of limiting population increase, usually by reducing the birth rate. The practice has sometimes been voluntary, as a response to poverty, carrying capacity, or out of religious ideology, but in some times and places it has been socially mandated.... by means of oral contraceptives."
1973	Earl Sutherland	"For the discovery that epinephrine Epinephrine Epinephrine is a hormone and neurotransmitter.Epinephrine increases the "fight or flight" response of the Sympathetic nervous system of the autonomic nervous system.... and hormones of the pituitary gland Pituitary gland The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g . It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a Dura mater fold .... occasion their diverse regulatory effects by initiating cellular Cell (biology) The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life.... synthesis of cyclic adenylic acid, now recognized as a universal biological Biology Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment .... second messenger, which opened a new level of understanding of the subtle mechanisms that integrate the chemical life of the cell Cell (biology) The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life.... while offering hope of entirely new approaches to chemotherapy Chemotherapy Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer.... ."
1971	Barbara McClintock Barbara McClintock Barbara McClintock , the 1983 Nobel Laureate in Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, was an American scientist and one of the world's most distinguished cytogenetics....	"For establishing the relations between inherited characters in plants and the detailed shapes of their chromosomes, and for showing that some genes are controlled by other genes within chromosomes."
1970	John Archibald Wheeler John Archibald Wheeler John Archibald Wheeler was an eminent United States theoretical physicist. One of the later collaborators of Albert Einstein, he tried to achieve Einstein's vision of a unified field theory....	"For his basic contributions to our understanding of the nuclei of atoms, exemplified by his theory of nuclear fission Nuclear fission In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the atomic nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts, often producing free neutrons and lighter atomic nucleus, which may eventually produce photons .... , and his own work and stimulus to others on basic questions of gravitational and electromagnetic Electromagnetism Electromagnetism is the physics of the electromagnetic field, a field which exerts a force on Elementary particles with the property of electric charge and which is reciprocally affected by the presence and motion of such particles.... phenomena."
1969	Ernst Mayr	"For notable contributions to systematics Systematics Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of life on the planet Earth, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time.... , biogeography Biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of biodiversity over space and time. It aims to reveal where organisms live, and at what abundance.... , and the study of birds, and especially for great work on the evolution Evolution In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection.... of animal populations."
1969	B.F. Skinner	"For basic and imaginative contributions to the study of behavior Behavior Behavior or behaviour refers to the action s or reactions of an object or organism, usually in Relational theory to the environment. Behavior can be conscious or Unconscious mind, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary.... which have had profound influence upon all of psychology Psychology Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology.... and many related areas."
1967	Paul J. Cohen	"For epoch-making results in mathematical logic Logic Logic is the study of the principles of valid demonstration and inference. Logic is a branch of philosophy, a part of the classical Trivium . The word derives from Greek language ?????? , fem.... which have enlivened and broadened investigations in the foundation of mathematics."
1966	Claude Shannon	"For brilliant contributions to the mathematical theories of communications Information theory Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and electrical engineering involving the quantification of information. Historically, information theory was developed by Claude E.... and information processing Information processing Information processing is the change of information in any manner detectable by an observation. As such, it is a Process which describes everything which happens in the universe, from the falling of a rock to the printing of a text file from a digital computer system.... and for his early and continuing impact on the development of these disciplines."
1964	Harold Urey Harold Urey Harold Clayton Urey was an American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 and later led him to theories of planetary evolution....	"For outstanding contributions to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the solar system Solar System The Solar System consists of the Sun and those Astronomical object bound to it by gravity: the eight planets and five dwarf planets, their 173 known Natural satellite, and billions of Small Solar System body.... and the origin of life on Earth and for pioneering work in the application of isotopes to the determination of the temperatures of ancient oceans."
1963	Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush was an United States engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computer, his political role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the idea of the memex, which was seen decades later as a pioneering concept for the World Wide Web....	"For his distinguished achievements in electrical engineering, in the technology of computing machines, in the effective coupling of the physical and life sciences; and in his mobilizing science, engineering and education in enduring ways in the service of the Nation."
1963	Norbert Wiener Norbert Wiener Norbert Wiener was an United States theoretical and applied math mathematician.Wiener was a pioneer in the study of stochastic processes and noise processes, contributing work relevant to electronic engineering, electronic communication, and control systems....	"For his marvellously versatile contributions, profoundly original, ranging within pure and applied mathematics, and penetrating boldly into the engineering and biological sciences."

National Medal of Science

History

Award process

The Medal

Notable laureates

See also

External links