[extropy-chat] President awards national science and technology medals

[Jonathan Despres]

WASHINGTON --President Bush presented science and technology
achievement medals on Monday to 15 laureates, including two from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who have done work that has
revolutionized organ transplants, led to development of global
positioning systems and helped feed millions around the world.

"The spirit of discovery is one of our national strengths," Bush said
before handing out the 2004 National Medals of Science and Technology
in the White House's East Room. "Our greatest resource has always been
the educated, hardworking, ambitious people who call this country
their home.

"From Thomas Edison's light bulb to Robert Ledley's CAT scan machine,
most of America's revolutionary inventions began with men and women
with a vision to see beyond what is and the desire to pursue what
might be."

Established by Congress in 1959, the medal of science award is
administered by the National Science Foundation. The ceremony brought
to 425 the total number of medal of science recipients.

The medal of technology, established by Congress in 1980, is
administered by the Commerce Department. So far, 166 of these
technology medals have been awarded.

Medal recipients in science:

--Kenneth J. Arrow, Stanford University; Stanford, Calif., for his
contributions in the field of economics.

--Norman E. Borlaug, Texas A&M University; College Station, Texas, for
breeding semi-dwarf, disease-resistant high-yield wheat and
instructing farmers in its cultivation to help ease starvation.

--Robert N. Clayton, The University of Chicago, for his contributions
to geochemistry and cosmochemistry that provided insight into the
evolution of the solar system.

--Edwin N. Lightfoot, University of Wisconsin, for research in how the
body controls insulin levels and oxygenates blood.

--Stephen J. Lippard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for
research in bioinorganic chemistry, including the interaction of metal
compounds with DNA.

--Phillip A. Sharp, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for his
genetic research, including his role in discovering the discontinuous
nature of genetic information in split genes.

--Thomas E. Starzl, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, for
his work in liver transplantation and his discoveries in
immunosuppressive medication that advanced the field of organ
transplantation.

--Dennis P. Sullivan, City University of New York Graduate Center and
State University of New York at Stony Brook, for his work in
mathematics, including the creation of entirely new fields of
mathematics, and uncovering unexpected connections between seemingly
unrelated fields.

Medal recipients in technology:

--Ralph H. Baer, engineering consultant; Manchester, N.H., for his
work in developing and commercializing interactive video games, which
spawned related uses and mega-industries in both the entertainment and
education fields.

--Roger L. Easton, founder of RoBarCo, a private consulting firm in
Canaan, N.H., for his achievements in spacecraft tracking, navigation,
and timing technology that led to the development of the
NAVSTAR-Global Positioning System.

--Gen-Probe Inc. of San Diego, Calif., for the development and
commercialization of new blood-testing technologies and systems for
the direct detection of viral infections, including West Nile virus,
HIV-1 and Hepatitis C virus in plasma of human blood and organ donors
prior to transfusion. The award was accepted by Henry L. Nordhoff,
president, chairman and chief executive officer.

--IBM Microelectronics Division of Armonk, N.Y., for innovation in
semiconductor technology that has enabled explosive growth in the
information technology and consumer electronics industries through the
development of smaller, more powerful microelectronic devices. The
award was accepted by Nicholas M. Donofrio, executive vice president
of innovation and technology.

--Industrial Light and Magic of San Francisco, Calif., for 30 years of
innovation in visual effects technology for the motion picture
industry. Chrissie England, president, and George Lucas, founder,
accepted the award.

--Motorola Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill., for work in mobile
communications, and for the development of innovations that allow
people to connect with their world. The award was received by
Padmasree Warrior, executive vice president and chief technology
officer.

--PACCAR Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., for pioneering work in the
development and commercialization of aerodynamic, lightweight trucks
that have dramatically reduced fuel consumption and increased the
productivity of U.S. freight transportation. The award was accepted by
Mark C. Pigott, chairman and chief executive officer.