WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences will honor 15 individuals with awards in recognition of their extraordinary scientific achievements in a wide range of fields spanning the physical, biological, and medical sciences.

Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Arizona State University, will receive the Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship for illuminating the early evolution of rocky planets and planetesimals. The award is presented with a $50,000 prize and funds to present a series of Day Lectures.

Richard N. Aslin, Haskins Laboratories and Yale University, and Susan Elizabeth Carey, Harvard University, will receive the Atkinson Prizes in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences. With these awards, the Academy recognizes Aslin for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding infant learning and development, and Carey for revolutionizing the study of the origins of cognition. Each recipient will receive a $100,000 prize. 

Lisa Kewley, Australian National University, will receive the James Craig Watson Medal for improving our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve. The medal is presented with a $25,000 prize, and $50,000 to support the recipient’s research.

Bert Vogelstein, Johns Hopkins’ Kimmel Cancer Center, Ludwig Center, and Lustgarten Laboratory, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will receive the Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko Medal for pioneering studies of the molecular basis of cancer. The medal is presented with a $25,000 prize, and an additional $50,000 for research. 

Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Stanford University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will receive the John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science for her invention of bioorthogonal chemistry. This year’s award is presented in the physical sciences with a $25,000 prize.

Julia Chuzhoy, Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, will receive the Michael and Sheila Held Prize for advances in discrete optimization and structure of graphs. The award is presented with a $100,000 prize.

Christina Maslach, University of California, Berkeley, will receive the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing for advancing our understanding of job burnout and worker well-being. This year’s award is presented in the social sciences with a $20,000 prize.

Shuji Nakamura, University of California, Santa Barbara, will receive the NAS Award for the Industrial Application of Science for pioneering energy-efficient LED lighting. This year’s award is presented in sustainability with a $25,000 prize.

John C. Tully, Yale University, will receive the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences for developing pioneering theories of the dynamics of molecules. The award is presented with a $15,000 prize.

Hashim Murtadha Al-Hashimi, Duke University, will receive the NAS Award in Molecular Biology for pioneering studies into RNA and DNA function on the atomic level. The award is presented with a $25,000 prize.

Zachary B. Lippman, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will receive the NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences for genetic studies into developing hardier crop breeds. The award is presented with a $100,000 prize.

Leslie B. Vosshall, The Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will receive the Pradel Research Award for research into how disease-carrying mosquitoes select human hosts. The award is presented with a $50,000 research award to support neuroscience research.

Michael C. Frank, Stanford University, and Nim Tottenham, Columbia University, will each receive a Troland Research Award. With these awards, the Academy recognizes Frank for pioneering studies into children’s early language learning, and Tottenham for her studies into human brain development and the effects of early-life stress. Each recipient is presented with a $75,000 prize to support their research.

The winners will be honored in a ceremony on Sunday, April 26, during the National Academy of Sciences' 157th annual meeting.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and — with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine — provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

Contact:
Molly Galvin
Director, Executive Communications
Office of News and Public Information
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
202-334-2138
news@nas.edu; www.nationalacademies.org