Nine Researchers To Receive National Medal Of Science

Sidebar: National Medal of Technology Goes To Biomedical Computing Pioneer, Four Others Two pioneering molecular biologists-including a Nobel laureate-were among nine researchers named in April to receive the 1997 National Medal of Science, the United States government's highest honor for scientific achievement. The honorees, who represent a wide range of disciplines, include an astrophysicist who helped elucidate the origin of the stars, a chemist who help lay the groundwork for understanding

Written bySteven Benowitz

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Sidebar: National Medal of Technology Goes To Biomedical Computing Pioneer, Four Others

Photo: Donna Coveney/MIT

'CRUCIAL' WORK: Medal of science winner Robert Weinberg of MIT

The eight living honorees, along with the five recipients of the National Medal of Technology, will receive their awards later this year at a White House ceremony.

The National Medal of Science, established by Congress in 1959, is administered by the National Science Foundation. The medal honors individuals' contributions to the physical, biological, mathematical, social, and behavioral sciences.

A presidentially appointed 12-member Committee on the National Medal of Science, composed of leading researchers from a variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, reviews nominations solicited via the Internet and by letters to universities, colleges, professional societies, and members of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Including the 1997 winners, 353 individuals have received the medal.

James D. Watson, ...

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