Member Prizes

Three Fellows Awarded The Shaw Prize
Three of four winners of The 2007 Shaw Prize are Academy members. Known as the “Nobels of the East,” the annual awards are worth $1 million each and are given by The Shaw Prize Foundation in Hong Kong, in recognition of achievement in academic and scientific research. Established in 2002, The Shaw Prize consists of three annual prizes: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences.

Academy Fellows who received The 2007 Shaw Prize are:

Astronomy: Peter Goldreich, Institute for Advanced Study and California Institute of Technology, “in recognition of his lifetime achievements in theoretical astrophysics and planetary sciences.” Goldreich’s groundbreaking research has probed such topics as the origin of spiral structure in disk galaxies, the electrodynamics of pulsars, and helioseismology. “His work, insights, and accomplishments,” the foundation said in a written announcement, “set the gold standard for the field.”
Life Science and Medicine: Robert J. Lefkowitz, Duke University Medical Center, “for his relentless elucidation of the major receptor system that mediates the response of cells and organs to drugs and hormones.” In work extending over 35 years, Lefkowitz’s research revealed how chemical messengers are received and interpreted by target cells. This information has helped researchers develop even more powerful medications for an assortment of ailments, including high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and schizophrenia.
Mathematical Sciences: Robert P. Langlands, Institute for Advanced Study, shared with Richard Taylor of Harvard University, “for initiating and developing a grand unifying vision of mathematics that connects prime numbers with symmetry.” Their work, the foundation said, “has guided mathematicians over the past 40 years and will continue to do so for years to come.”

National Medal of Science Awarded to Seven Fellows
Seven of eight recipients of this year’s National Medal of Science are Academy members. The prize, the nation’s highest scientific honor, recognizes outstanding achievement in the physical, biological, mathematical, social, behavioral, and engineering sciences.

The Academy winners are in the following categories:

Physical Sciences: Ralph A. Alpher, Dudley Observatory in Schenectady, N.Y., “for providing the model for the Big Bang theory, as well as for his prediction that the expansion of the universe deposits background radiation.”
Biological Sciences: Anthony S. Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, “for his studies of the human immune system and the mechanisms of HIV.”
Biological Sciences: Torsten N. Wiesel, Rockefeller University, “for developing new insights about how the brain processes information collected by the retina.”
Engineering: Jan D. Achenbach, Northwestern University, “for his research into how waves spread through solids,” and “for pioneering the study of quantitative nondestructive evaluation.”
Behavioral and Social Sciences: Gordon H. Bower, Stanford University, “for his research into human memory and reasoning.”
Mathematics and Computer Sciences: Bradley Efron, Stanford University, “for developing the ‘bootstrap method,’ which is a computer-based way of attaching a plus-or-minus value to a statistical estimate.”
Chemistry: Tobin J. Marks, Northwestern University, “for research into the properties of new substances.”

Four Academy Fellows Receive Nobel Prize
Academy members were once again well represented among winners of the 2006 Nobel Prizes. Four Fellows were honored with awards.

The recipients are in the following categories:

Chemistry: Rodger D. Kornberg, Stanford University School of Medicine, “for his studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription.”
Economics: (Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel) Edmund S. Phelps, Columbia University “for his analysis of intertemporal tradeoffs in macroeconomic policy.”
Physiology or Medicine: Andrew Z. Fire, Stanford University School of Medicine, shared with Craig C. Mello (University of Massachusetts Medical School) “for their discovery of RNA interference – gene silencing by double-stranded RNA.”
Physics: John C. Mather, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, shared with George F. Smoot (University of California, Berkeley) “for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.”

National Medal of Freedom Awarded to Four Fellows
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civil honor. The Medal recognizes high achievement in public service, science, the arts, education, athletics, and other fields. In December, four Academy members were among the 10 individuals who received this recognition at a White House ceremony.

The Academy Fellows and their citations follow:

Norman C. Francis, Xavier University of Louisiana
During his nearly 40 years as President of Xavier University of Louisiana, Dr. Norman Francis has demonstrated a steadfast dedication to education, equality, and service to others. Throughout his career, he has led religious, educational, and civil rights organizations and has made significant contributions to the important work of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As Chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, he has played a vital role in helping the people of the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The United States honors Norman C. Francis for his leadership, compassion, and commitment to education.
Joshua Lederberg, Rockefeller University
Dr. Joshua Lederberg has devoted his life to the advancement of human knowledge across a remarkable range of scientific endeavor. His work in bacterial genetics earned him a Nobel Prize and laid the groundwork for future progress in the study of genetics. He has helped develop advanced computer technology, worked with NASA in the search for life on Mars, and served as a distinguished scientific advisor to our Nation's policymakers. The United States honors Joshua Lederberg for his achievements in scientific discovery and his commitment to improving the lives of others.
David McCullough,
One of our Nation's most distinguished and honored historians, David McCullough has taken his own place in American history. His books have earned him the respect of general audiences and scholars alike and have received numerous awards, including two National Book Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes. The author of rigorous works on Harry Truman, John Adams, and the young Theodore Roosevelt, he is one of our foremost authorities on the American Presidency. The United States honors David McCullough for his lifelong efforts to document the people, places, and events that have shaped America.
William Safire, Dana Foundation
As a journalist, speechwriter, columnist, author, and lexicographer, William Safire has distinguished himself as one of our country's most talented writers and commentators. Using the power of prose, he has educated our citizenry, polished our language, and vigorously defended human freedom. His work has earned him the recognition of his peers, including the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, and has elevated debate on issues of the day. The United States honors William Safire for his uncompromising commitment to his craft and to strengthening our democracy.

2006 National Humanities Medal Given to Four Fellows
The National Humanities Medal, first awarded in 1989 as the Charles Frankel Prize, honors individuals and organizations whose work has deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens' engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand America's access to important humanities resources.

Among the 2006 winners are four Academy Fellows:

James Buchanan, George Mason University
Robert Fagles, Princeton University
Bernard Lewis, Princeton University
Mark Noll, Wheaton College

Lasker Award Winners
Four Academy members received the 1996 Lasker Award for “major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and even cure of many of the great crippling and killing diseases of our country.”

Winners for Basic Medical Research were:

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, University of California, San Francisco
Carol W. Greider, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Jack W. Szostak, Massachusetts General Hospital

In the category of Medical Science:

Joseph G. Gall, Carnegie Institution

John Hope Franklin Receives the Kluge Prize
The third John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity was awarded to Academy Fellow John Hope Franklin, Duke University. Also receiving the Kluge Prize at a Library of Congress ceremony was Chinese historian Yu Ying-shih (Yale University).

Cormac McCarthy Wins Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Academy Fellow Cormac McCarthy received the 2007 Pulitzer prize for fiction for his novel, The Road. The book chronicles a father and son walking alone across a post-apocalyptic America, cold, dark and strewn with corpses and ash. In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, “ The Road would be pure misery if not for its stunning, savage beauty.” It is McCarthy’s 10th novel.

Academy Fellow Wins Abel Prize
Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan, Professor of Mathematics and Frank J. Gould Professor of Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, is the recipient of the 2007 Abel Prize. Awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters, the prize honors Varadhan’s “for his fundamental contributions to probability theory and in particular for creating a unified theory of large deviation.” The past recipients, all members of the Academy, include Jean-Pierre Serre, Michael Attiyah, Isadore Singer, Peter Lax, and Lennart Carleson.

Five Academy Fellows Named 2007 Guggenheim Fellows
The five Fellows and their project titles are:

Lawrence D. Bobo, Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor, and Director, Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University: Black and white Americans' views of the new law and order regime.

Tanya Luhrmann, Professor of Anthropology, Stanford University: Making God real in evangelical Christianity.

Geraldine Richmond, Richard M. and Patricia H. Noyes Professor of Chemistry, University of Oregon: Environmental sustainability.

José Alexandre Scheinkman, Theodore Wells '29 Professor of Economics, Princeton University: The economics of the informal sector.

Kay Kaufman Shelemay, G. Gordon Watts Professor of Music, and Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard University: Ethiopian music and musicians in the United States.

Academy Fellow Wins Japan Prize
The Japan Prize, awarded annually by the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan, was awarded to Peter Shaw Ashton, Harvard University. Ashton was cited for his “significant contributions toward solving the conflict between human beings and the tropical forest ecosystem.”

Books by 14 Academy Members Receive Awards for Excellence
Professional and scholarly books authored by fourteen Academy Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members are among the winners of the Association of American Publishers 2006 Awards for Excellence, or received Honorable Mention. They include:

Daron Acemoglu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with James A. Robinson, for their book, Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy.

Robert A. Alberty, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for his book, Biochemical Thermodynamics: Applications of Mathematica.

Derek Bok, Harvard University, for his book, Our Underachieving Colleges.

David Brion Davis, Yale University, for his book, Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World.

George Hutchinson, Yale University, for his book, In Search of Nella Larsen.

Laura L. Kiessling, University of Wisconsin, Madison, with Evelyn Jabri, for the journal, ACS Chemical Biology.

Sanford Levinson, University of Texas, for his book, Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (And How we the People Can Correct It).

Tak Mak, University of Toronto, with Mary Saunders, for their reference book, The Immune Response.

Fergus Millar, University of Oxford, for his book, A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II (408-450).

Franco Moretti, Stanford University, for his two-volume reference book, The Novel.

Richard Schmalensee, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with David S. Evans and Andrei Hagiu, for their book, Invisible Engines.

Glenn T. Seaborg, University of California, Berkeley, with Walter D. Loveland and David Morrissey, for their book, Modern Nuclear Chemistry.

Jean Tirole, Institut d'Economie Industrielle, for his book, The Theory of Corporate Finance.

Kirk Varnedoe, Institute for Advanced Study, for his book, Pictures of Nothing.

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