Eight to Receive National Medals Of Science

Seven natural scientists and, for the first time ever, a sociologist are cited by U.S. president for their contributions For the first time since the National Medal of Science--the United States' highest scientific honor--was initially presented by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, a sociologist has been selected as one of the recipients. Robert K. Merton, University Professor Emeritus at Columbia University, New York City, and seven other luminaries were named as the winners of the 1994 medals at a news conference held on September 8 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The other medal recipients, representing such diverse disciplines as fundamental physics, photochemistry, insect biology, geophysics, and medical genetics, are: Ray W. Clough, a structural engineer and retired professor from the University of California, Berkeley; John Cocke, a retired computer scientist from IBM Corp.'s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.; Thomas Eisner, an insect biologist and Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Biology at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.; George Hammond, currently a visiting professor at the Center for Photochemical Sciences, Bowling Green State University in Ohio; Elizabeth Neufeld, chairwoman of the department of biological chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles; Albert W. Overhauser, a physicist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.; and Frank Press, a geophysicist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C.'s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Medalists are selected every year by the president from a list of nominees recommended by the Committee on the National Medal of Science, administered by the National Science Foundation. Three hundred and twenty medals have been awarded since 1962. This year's nominating committee consisted of such distinguished scientific figures as NSF president Neal Lane, National Academy of Sciences (NAS) president Bruce Alberts, and presidential science adviser John Gibbons. President Bill Clinton will present these medals along with the National Medals of Technology (see accompanying story) at ceremonies to be held at the White House later this month. THE TOPS IN TECHNOLOGY This year, two corporations and four individuals have been selected to receive the National Medal of Technology, the annual presidential awards that recognize achievements in technological innovation and economic competitiveness. The technology medals were mandated by Congress in 1980 and first awarded in 1985. They are administered by the United States Department of Commerce. Medalists are chosen by a process similar to that used for selecting recipients of the medals of science. A Nomination Evaluation Committee, consisting of representatives from the private sector, presents a list to the president for the final decision. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown announced the names of the winners on September 14; the medals will be presented at a White House ceremony later this month. This year'Us Medal of Technology recipients are: Amgen Inc., a biotechnology firm based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., developing therapeutic products based on cell and molecular biology research. Two Amgen products are Epogen, a genetically engineered protein used in the treatment of anemia in kidney dialysis patients; and Neupogen, used in cancer patients to decrease the occurrence of infections during chemotherapy. Corning Inc. of Corning, N.Y. The company is being cited for the inventions, products, and technologies it has spawned over its 125-year history. Pollution-control ceramics, telescope mirrors, spacecraft windows, and optical fiber components are all examples of the products of materials science research at this company, in addition to the more familiar housewares. Joel S. Engel, vice president of technology, Ameritech Corp., Chicago, and Richard H. Frenkiel, retired research and development director, advanced wireless terminals, at AT&T Consumer Products, Parsippany, N.J., and now an independent consultant. Engel and Frenkiel are being honored together for conceptualizing, designing, and setting up mobile cellular communications systems. H. Joseph Gerber, chairman and president of South Windsor, Conn.-based Gerber Scientific Inc. The medal celebrates his role in developing and promoting automation systems for a wide variety of industries--particularly the apparel industry--thereby increasing their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Irwin M. Jacobs, chairman of QUALCOMM Inc., a satellite communications research and manufacturing firm in San Diego. Jacobs is being recognized for his achievements in the field of digital wireless communications, particularly for his development of the Code Division Multiple Access technology for commercial use in telecommunications. --N.S. Merton, 84, is being recognized for founding the sociology of science, which he describes as an exploration of the "world of science--how it works and how it came to be." In a career that has spanned nearly 60 years, he has done work in many facets of theoretical sociology, with far-reaching influences across several disciplines. The citation for the medal also highlights the concepts of the self-fulfilling prophecy and the unintended consequences of social action, two of Merton's pioneering contributions to the study of social life. In the 1940s, he and his coworkers introduced the technique of the "focused interview" in social research, which is widely used--and, according to Merton, frequently misused-- as a research tool in politics and marketing. The technique involves interviews with groups of subjects--the focus group--to discern the "reasons for their reactions to film, print, television and radio texts," he explains. Merton, a prolific author of books and papers, has had his work referenced in a variety of sources--not only in his own field, but also in biology, medicine, information science, and the physical sciences. In an analysis conducted by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) of Philadelphia, he was the third most cited sociologist in the world, with more than 3,000 citations, over the period 1969-77. His book Social Theory and Social Structure (New York, The Free Press) was reprinted several times (1949, 1957, 1965, and 1968) and has been referenced in almost 5,000 publications, which places it among the 100 most cited works ever, out of a pool of more than 32 million publications. A native of Philadelphia, Merton studied at Temple University (B.A. 1931), before going to Harvard, where he received a Ph.D. in 1936. He has been at Columbia since 1941, and currently also serves as Foundation Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation in New York City. An ardent conservationist, Eisner, 65, says he is particularly pleased to be recognized by the Clinton administration because he feels "they are making genuine efforts towards conservation." He pioneered the study of chemical ecology and introduced the concept of chemical prospecting--the exploration of nature for new chemicals. He has also been a vocal champion of the cause of preserving biological diversity (T. Eisner, E.A. Beiring, Bioscience, 44:95-8, 1994), to which end he helped arrange an agreement between the international drug company Merck & Co. Inc., headquartered in Whitehouse Station, N.J., and a biological reserve in Costa Rica. "Nature is a vast, unexplored chemical treasury," says Eisner. "It is important to explore [nature] in order to save it, and I believe that the main beneficiaries of the chemicals of nature--the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, food, flavor, and fragrance industries--should all share in its custodianship." Eisner's principal area of research is the study of chemicals involved in insect communication and behavior. "I happen to love insects--have done so ever since I could walk--which makes me a bit weird to others," he remarks. Recently, Eisner discovered a novel chemical produced by millipedes, which these creatures use to paralyze spiders when attacked. "The chemical is similar to some known sedatives, which gives rise to the question of whether it can be used to protect against spiders," he explains. Eisner points to this find as an example of the unforeseen uses of tapping nature for chemicals, further stressing the importance of preserving biodiversity. The only other life scientist to be honored this year, Neufeld is receiving the medal in honor of her early research on a rare but deadly group of inherited diseases called mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), which cause neurological deterioration in children. MPS are genetic disorders in which the lysosomes--intracellular structures that she says act as "garbage disposal systems'--have missing or defective enzymes. As a result of this deficiency, cells are unable to degrade their wastes properly, and begin to accumulate them, leading to harmful effects. In 1969, Neufeld's intramural research group at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., found that two different forms of the disease (that is, showing different inheritance patterns) were able to correct each other's defects, indicating that something was missing in either case. "The something turned out to be a missing enzyme along with a `go to lysosome' signal," explains Neufeld. An enzyme with such a signal could also go to other cells, which is why two genotypes were able to correct deficiencies in each other. This finding provided the basis for specific diagnostic tests for MPS and laid the groundwork for developing therapies. "Conceptually, it is feasible to produce lysosomal enzymes to treat patients," says Neufeld. "But there are still a lot of biological problems--like getting the enzymes to cross the blood-brain barrier--as well as technical problems to overcome." At UCLA since 1984, Neufeld, 66, continues to be funded as an extramural scientist by NIH for her work on lysosomal enzymes. Clough 74, is being honored for his fundamental contributions to the field of structural analysis and design. He was the key figure in deriving the "finite element method" used in designing buildings, dams, and other large structures to withstand earthquakes. Cocke, 69, pioneered the development of technology called reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture, as well as optimizing compilers--computer software that translate programs to a format understood by computers. At IBM, he was involved in such technological developments as the Stretch computer, pipelining, and the engineering- verification engine. Hammond, 73, is being recognized for creating the field of organic photochemistry, the study of the interaction of light with matter. In the course of his career, Hammond has written more than 280 scientific papers, of which 12 have been very highly cited (100-450 times), according to ISI. His seminal paper entitled "A correlation of reaction rates" (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 77:334-38, 1955) has been referenced in more than 2,000 articles. Overhauser, 69, is being cited for his contributions to the understanding of the physics of solids. He is perhaps best known for having developed the theory of dynamic nuclear polarization, now a fundamental concept in physics. In addition, he is the namesake of the "Overhauser effect," which has been applied in such remote fields as structural biology (protein chemistry) and medical diagnostic imaging. Press, 69, is receiving the medal in honor of his contributions to both basic science and science policy. He served as science adviser to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1980, and as the president of the National Academy of Sciences from 1981 to 1993. In the realm of geophysics, he has done important work in studying the Earth's interior and earthquake mechanisms. At the news conference at which the announcements were made, Press said that his being selected for this honor showed that "there can be life after life as the presidential science adviser."

Eight to Receive National Medals Of Science

Oct 2, 1994

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