Founding Nano Letters editor A. Paul Alivisatos will receive the National Medal of Science at a White House ceremony in early 2016. Alivisatos is the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a professor of chemistry and the scientific founder of two nanotechnology companies. He also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Nano. Alivisatos […]
Founding Nano Letters editor A. Paul Alivisatos will receive the National Medal of Science at a White House ceremony in early 2016. Alivisatos is the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a professor of chemistry and the scientific founder of two nanotechnology companies. He also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Nano.
Alivisatos is widely recognized for demonstrating that semiconductor nanocrystals can be grown into two-dimensional rods and other shapes as opposed to spheres. This achievement paved the way for a slew of new applications, including biomedical diagnostics, revolutionary photovoltaic cells and LED materials. He also demonstrated key applications of nanocrystals for biological imaging and renewable energy. He has been a member of the American Chemical Society for 26 years.
“Science and technology are fundamental to solving some of our Nation’s biggest challenges,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “The knowledge produced by these Americans today will carry our country’s legacy of innovation forward and continue to help countless others around the world. Their work is a testament to American ingenuity.”
The National Medal of Science is the United States’ highest honor for achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of science and technology. Since its creation in 1959, it is awarded annually to those who make outstanding contributions to a variety of scientific fields.
The award is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation, with the President receiving nominations from a committee of Presidential appointees, based on their expertise and contributions to science. Alivisatos is one of 9 such scientists recognized by the White House in 2015. Past recipients of the National Medal of Science also include Journal of the American Chemical Society Editor Peter Stang, who received the award in 2010.
