The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
Watch the ceremony live at 2:30 PM ET as 17 scientists, engineers, and inventors are recognized for their contributions to science and engineering.
Join President Obama as he awards 17 individuals with the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation—the highest honors bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers, and inventors.
Watch the ceremony live from the White House at WH.gov/live on Thursday, May 19 at 2:30pm ET. And, follow along on social media at #STEMmedals.
The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation. Awarded annually, the Medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering. The President receives nominations from a committee of Presidential appointees based on their extraordinary knowledge in and contributions to chemistry, engineering, computing, mathematics, and the biological, behavioral/social, and physical sciences.
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created by statute in 1980 and is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognizes those who have made lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness, quality of life, and helped strengthen the Nation’s technological workforce. A distinguished independent committee representing the private and public sectors submits recommendations for the award to the President.
The new Medals recipients are:
National Medal of Science
- Dr. Armand Paul Alivisatos, University of California and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, CA
- Dr. Michael Artin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
- Dr. Albert Bandura, Stanford University, CA
- Dr. Stanley Falkow, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
- Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
- Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, MA
- Dr. Mary-Claire King, University of Washington, WA
- Dr. Simon Levin, Princeton University, NJ
- Dr. Geraldine Richmond, University of Oregon, OR
National Medal of Technology and Innovation
- Dr. Joseph DeSimone, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Carbon3D, CA
- Dr. Robert Fischell, University of Maryland at College Park, MD
- Dr. Arthur Gossard, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
- Dr. Nancy Ho, Green Tech America, Inc. and Purdue University, IN
- Dr. Chenming Hu, University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Dr. Mark Humayun, University of Southern California, CA
- Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, University of Connecticut, CT
- Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, 4catalyzer Corporation and Yale School of Medicine, CT
Jo Handelsman is Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
