The 1993 Rolex Awards for Enterprise--50,000 Swiss francs and a gold Rolex chronometer--were recently presented in Geneva to five researchers. Notable among the recipients is Forrest M. Mims III, who attracted considerable publicity a few years ago over his dismissal as a columnist for Scientific American because of his belief in creation (Forrest M. Mims III, The Scientist, Feb. 18, 1991, page 11). Mims, who wrote three installments of "The Amateur Scientist" column in 1990 before being removed from the job by Scientific American editor Jonathan Piel, was honored for devising TOPS (Total Ozone Portable Spectroradiometer), a hand- held ozone-monitoring device that he built for less than $500. Using TOPS, Mims found an error in NASA's ozone measurements. Mims says he feels his work is vindicated by the Rolex award: "I got ...
