National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science | |
---|---|
behavioral sciences. | |
Location | Washington, D.C. |
Country | United States |
Presented by | President of the United States |
First awarded | 1963 |
Website | www |
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the
History
The National Medal of Science was established on August 25, 1959, by an act of the
On January 7, 1979, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) passed a resolution proposing that the medal be expanded to include the social and behavioral sciences.[2] In response, Senator Ted Kennedy introduced the Science and Technology Equal Opportunities Act into the Senate on March 7, 1979, expanding the medal to include these scientific disciplines as well. President Jimmy Carter's 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
The first National Medal of Science was awarded on February 18, 1963, for the year 1962 by President John F. Kennedy to
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.[3]
The first woman to receive a National Medal of Science was Barbara McClintock, who was awarded for her work on plant genetics in 1970.[4]
The awards ceremony is organized by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. It takes place at the
Although Public Law 86-209 provides for 20 recipients of the medal per year, it is typical for approximately 8–15 accomplished scientists and engineers to receive this distinction each year. There have been a number of years where no National Medals of Science were awarded. Those years include: 1985, 1984, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1972 and 1971.
President
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
According to the Committee, successful candidates must be
Recipients
Since Caltech professor Theodore von Kármán received the first medal in 1962, a total of 506 medals have been awarded, with just five universities accounting for over 31% of the total. By institutional affiliation at the time of the award, Stanford University counts the most medals at 40, with Harvard University close behind at 35, followed by the University of California, Berkeley at 30, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 29, and the California Institute of Technology at 25.[8]
Top Institutions | Recipients |
---|---|
Stanford | 40 |
Harvard | 35 |
Berkeley | 30 |
MIT | 29 |
Caltech | 25 |
Princeton | 18 |
Chicago | 13 |
UIUC | 13 |
Rockefeller | 12 |
Columbia
|
11 |
Wisconsin | 11 |
See also
- List of general science and technology awards
- National Medal of Technology and Innovation
- National Medal of Arts
- National Humanities Medal
References
- ^ John F. Kennedy (21 August 1961). "Executive Order 10961 Providing Procedures for the Award of the National Medal of Science". The White House. Archived from the original on 2007-08-19. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ AAAS Council (7 January 1979). "AAAS Resolution: National Medal of Science". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ "2008 Call for Nominations through December 7, 2007". National Science Foundation. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ "The President's National Medal of Science - U.S. National Science Foundation". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "President Obama Honors Nation's Leading Scientists and Innovators". 19 May 2016.
- ^ "President Biden Honors Leading American Scientists, Technologists, and Innovators" (Press release). United States Government. October 24, 2023.
- ^ "President's Committee, 2007". National Science Foundation. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ "President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Search Results". National Science Foundation. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-10.