Three American scientists have been named by the White House as recipients of the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award. Héctor D. Abruña, Paul Alivisatos, and John H. Nuckolls were recognized for "exemplary contributions to advance efforts to tackle some of the world's greatest challenges, including improving health outcomes, clean energy, and national security."
The Enrico Fermi Presidential Award is one of the most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. government. It was established in 1956 as a memorial to the legacy of Enrico Fermi, an Italian-born naturalized American citizen who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1938. Fermi is famous in part for creating the world's first artificial nuclear reactor. The award in his memory recognizes scientists, engineers, and science policymakers for work that benefits humanity.
"President Biden likes to say that America can be defined in a single word: possibilities," said Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar, as part of the announcement. "This year's award winners have used science and technology to transform what is possible by expanding the boundaries of knowledge."
In addition to a presidential citation and a medal bearing the likeness of Fermi, recipients receive an honorarium of $100,000. In the event the award is given to more than one individual in the same year, it is divided equally among the recipients.
Here is a bit more about this year's three winners.
Héctor D. Abruña is the Emile M. Chamot Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical biology at Cornell University. A University of North Carolina PhD., Abruña's research group focuses on the development and characterization of new materials using a wide variety of techniques for fuel cells, batteries, and molecular assemblies for molecular electronics.
His citation read: For revolutionizing the fundamental understanding of electroanalytical chemistry and innovating characterization for development of batteries, fuel cells, and energy materials that have led to advancements for the electrical power grid and energy transformation and creation.
Paul Alivisatos is President of the University of Chicago, where he also is the John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the College.
Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Alivisatos was the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost of the University of California, Berkeley, where he had been on the faculty since 1988. Between 2009 and 2016, he was the Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
According to his award citation, Alivisatos' research helped develop the foundational materials and physical chemistry to produce beneficial nanocrystals and polymers with controlled size, shape, connectivity, and topology that underpin energy-efficient technology, optical devices, and medical diagnostic technology.
"I am delighted to receive this award. It is a recognition that carries special meaning, given the connection of its namesake to the University of Chicago and its community of scholars, many of whom have dedicated themselves toward achieving even greater knowledge and understanding in a field to which Fermi made such an extraordinary impact," said Alivisatos. "For my contributions to be recognized alongside theirs is a true honor."
John Hopkin Nuckolls is a physicist who spent his career at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He served as the lab's director from 1988 until 1994.
Nuckolls received his BS in physics from Wheaton College (Illinois) in 1953 and an MA in physics in 1955 from Columbia University. He started at Livermore as a staff physicist in Nuclear Weapons Design. In 1975 he became an associate program leader in laser fusion, then a division leader in inertial fusion, and in 1983 was appointed the associate director for physics. After his stint as director of the lab, Nuckolls served as associate director at large, and finally director emeritus.
His citation recognized his seminal leadership in inertial confinement fusion and high energy density physics, outstanding contributions to national security, and visionary leadership of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory at the end of the Cold War.
"It's an honor to recognize three DOE scientists who have accomplished a tremendous feat of advancing scientific knowledge in nanoscience, electroanalytical chemistry, and fusion," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, as part of the White House press release. "The legacy of their work will be felt for generations as America continues be a global leader in technological innovation."