The White House awarded three University of California professors with the nation’s highest honors for advancing science and technology.
Paul Alivisatos, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a professor of chemistry at UC Berkeley, received the National Medal of Science, which recognizes lifetime achievements in science and engineering.
Two UC engineers received the National Medal of Technology: Chenming Hu, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering and computer science at UC Berkeley; and Arthur Gossard, a professor emeritus of materials science and of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Barbara.
The National Medal of Technology honors those who have made lasting contributions to country's competitiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen the nation’s technological workforce.
The award recipients were announced Tuesday (Dec. 22) and the winners will receive their medals at a White House ceremony early next year.
“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."
Alivisatos, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is the Samsung Distinguished Chair in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the director of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute.
Hu, who was elected last week to the National Academy of Inventors, is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Distinguished Professor Emeritus and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Gossard is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the National Academy of Science.
“I am honored to join the group of other scientists, engineers and technologists who have previously received this award,” Gossard said in a statement. “I want to thank my family, teachers and colleagues for their huge contributions. And I am pleased by the recognition that the award brings to UC and especially to UCSB.”
