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President Clinton awards nation's highest honor for science and technology

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Clinton will bestow the prestigious National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology on 16 individuals and one corporation in a White House ceremony on March 14.

The 1999 laureates will participate in a roundtable discussion on "Science and Technology in 2025," on Tuesday March 14, 10 am - 11 am at the National Press Club. Ira Flatow, host of NPR1s Science Friday, will serve as moderator. There be opportunities for individual interviews following the discussion.

Widely regarded as the U.S. Nobel Prize, the medals will be presented to these science and technology pioneers for profound contributions in such areas as DNA, AIDS and cancer research, biogenetics, chemistry, physics and speech science. Several laureates have dramatically impacted national and international public policy ranging from conservation, ecology and the environment to economic growth. Innovations in computer technology have advanced the Information Age and enhanced the worlds of the visually and hearing impaired, the physically disabled and the music industry. Along the way, many have built and led some of the nation's most prominent academic and research institutions. And this year a number of laureates have been particularly lauded for fostering a better understanding of science by the general public.

"We honor these exceptional U.S. scientists and engineers for their achievements, contributions and innovations that have sustained U.S. leadership across the frontiers of scientific and technological knowledge, thereby enhancing our ability to shape and improve our nation's future," said President Clinton.

The Medal of Science, established by Congress in 1959 and administered by the National Science Foundation, has been awarded to 374 distinguished individuals. The National Medal of Technology, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been bestowed upon 110 innovators and 11 companies since it was established in 1980.

Twelve laureates will be honored with the 1999 National Medal of Science, including:

• David Baltimore, Nobel Laureate and President, California Institute of Technology, for far-reaching, fundamental discoveries in the fields of DNA, AIDS and cancer research and for excellence in building scientific institutions and fostering communication between scientists and the general public;

• Felix Browder, University Professor, Rutgers University, for pioneering mathematical work in the creation of nonlinear functional analysis, broadening our understanding of the workings of the physical world; for his leadership in promoting interdisciplinary work among scientists; and for an unwavering commitment to bringing a relevance and appreciation of math to the public;

• Ronald R. Coifman, Phillips Professor of Mathematics, Yale University, has been a world leader in harmonic analysis, adapting the field to the capabilities of the digital computer to produce a generation of fast, robust computational tools that have substantially benefited both science and technology and led to significant applications such as the FBI with consolidation and cost-savings of its fingerprint database.

• James W. Cronin, Nobel Laureate and Professor Emeritus of Physics, The University of Chicago, for fundamental contributions to the fields of elementary particle physics and astrophysics and as a leader in creating an international effort to determine the unknown origins of very high energy cosmic rays;

• Jared Diamond, Professor of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, for breakthrough discoveries in evolutionary biology; for landmark research in applying Darwinian theory to the diverse fields of physiology, ecology, conservation biology and human history, and for outstanding efforts in communicating science;

• Leo P. Kadanoff, Professor of Physic and Math, University of Chicago, for leadership in statistical, solid state and nonlinear physics that have led to numerous and important applications in engineering, urban planning, computer science, hydrodynamics, biology, applied mathematics and geophysics;

• Lynn Margulis, Professor of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, for outstanding contributions to the understanding of living cells, their structure and evolution, and for her extraordinary abilities as a teacher and communicator of science to the public;

• Stuart A. Rice, Professor of Chemistry, University of Chicago, for changing the nature of modern physical chemistry through his research, teaching and writing, and for using imaginative approaches in both experiment and theory that have inspired a new generation of scientists;

• John Ross, Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University, for his enormous impact on physical chemistry, especially in molecular studies, statistical mechanics, nonlinear kinetics, and for opening up new fields in chemical science;

• Susan Solomon, Senior Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO, for landmark research that helped explain the cause of the Antarctic ozone "hole" and change the direction of ozone research; for influencing worldwide policies to evaluate global environmental impact; and for exemplary public service;

• Robert M. Solow, Nobel Laureate and Institute Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for creating the modern framework that analyzes the effects of new technology and investment on economic growth, which has greatly influenced economics and it policies worldwide;

• Kenneth N. Stevens, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for pioneering work in the area of speech science that led to the development of new technologies to synthesize and recognize speech.

"The contributions of these scientists are so profound, so connected to our everyday lives and so lasting that these medals go only a short way to express the gratitude the nation owes them," said Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation.

The five laureates of the Medal of Technology include:

• Glen Culler, Chief Scientist and Chairman of the Board (retired), Culler Scientific Systems Corporation, for pioneering innovations in multiple branches of computing, including early efforts in digital speech processing, invention of the first on-line system for interactive graphical math computing and pioneering work on ARPAnet

• Raymond Kurzweil, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Kurzweil Technologies, Inc., for pioneering and innovative achievements in computer science including development of voice recognition devices and music synthesizers which have overcome many barriers and enriched the lives of disabled persons and all Americans;

• Robert Swanson (deceased), Chairman of K&E Management, Ltd., for his foresight and leadership in recognizing the commercial promise of recombinant DNA technology; his seminal role in the establishment/development of the biotech industry;

• Robert Taylor, retired founder/director of several research labs, for visionary leadership in the development of modern computing technology, including the ARPAnet, the personal computer and the graphical user interface;

• Symbol Technologies, Inc., for creating the global market for laser bar code scanning; for technical innovation and practical application of mobile computing; and for wireless local area network technologies.

Commerce Secretary William M. Daley said the technology laureates "exemplify the inventive spirit that has kept America strong. From advancements in computer science that led to user-friendly computers to developments in genetic engineering that have helped people survive heart attacks and strokes, these Medalists have dared to dream -- touching so many of our lives."

The laureates will be honored at an awards dinner sponsored by the National Science & Technology Medals Foundation on March 13. "It is fitting to close the century with such a stellar array of scientific and technological stars," said John Hocker, executive director of the Foundation. "These brilliant pioneers will inspire a whole new generation of leaders in the coming millennium."

MEDIA NOTES:

Contact for Science Medalists at National Science Foundation is Bill Noxon 703-306-1070; contact for Technology Medalists at US. Department of Commerce is Kathleen Sullivan 202-482-1397.

The 1999 laureates will participate in a roundtable discussion on "Science and Technology in 2025,2 on Tuesday March 14, 10 am - 11:00 a.m., at the National Press Club. There be opportunities for individual interviews following the discussion. Available on the website of the National Science & Technology Medals Foundation, http://www.asee.org\nstmf\ :

• Coordinates for a live satellite feed from the White House ceremony;
• Photos, shortly after the White House ceremony, scheduled to begin at 2:45 pm;
• A live webcast of the ceremony.

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