White House Awards National Medals for Science and Technology

Last week, President Joe Biden announced the latest recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honors in science, engineering, and technology. Both awards were presented at a joint ceremony on Jan. 3. The awards were once annual traditions but went unawarded for nearly a decade until 2023, when Biden last presented them.

Biden also included two scientists among the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The Enrico Fermi Presidential Awards, another prestigious award in science and technology, were announced in December.

National Medal of Science

Geochemist R. Lawrence Edwards from the University of Minnesota received the award for his work developing modern uranium-thorium dating methods, which enabled him to create a climate history of Earth dating back to prehistoric times. Richard Alley, a geoscientist at Penn State, was recognized for his research on melting glaciers and ice sheets, raising “new urgency to address the climate crisis,” according to Kei Koizumi, the principal deputy director for science, society and policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, who announced the awards.

Wendy Freedman, an astronomer at the University of Chicago, was recognized for her research measuring the Hubble constant and advancing the understanding of the expansion of the universe. Astrophysicist Keivan Stassun at Vanderbilt University received the award for his research on star formation and exoplanets.

Ingrid Daubechies, a mathematician at Duke University, was honored for her development of wavelet theory, which improved signal processing and image compression in medical imaging, digital media, and data compression. Aeronautics engineer John Dabiri at the California Institute of Technology was recognized for his research in fluid mechanics and biomechanics, particularly in designing more efficient wind turbines.

The other awardees were Bonnie Bassler, Angela Belcher, Helen Blau, and Teresa Woodruff in the fields of biology and bioengineering; ecologist David Tilman; computer scientist Cynthia Dwork; computational neuroscientist Emery Brown; and political scientist Larry Bartels.

The National Medal of Science was established in 1959. Awardees are selected by the Committee on the National Medal of Science, which is appointed by the president and administered by the National Science Foundation.

National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation included leaders in communications, imaging, nanotechnology, and bioengineering.

Inventor Martin Cooper received the award for leading the development of the first handheld mobile phone while at Motorola. Stevens Institute of Technology professor Victor Lawrence was recognized for his contributions to fiber-optic communication technology.

Eric Fossum, an engineer at Dartmouth College, received the award for his invention of the CMOS image sensor, which greatly improved image quality and energy efficiency in digital cameras and smartphones. Electrical engineer Kristina Johnson, former president of Ohio State University, received the award for her research in photonics, nanotechnology, and optoelectronics. MIT chemical engineer Paula Hammond was honored for her advances in nanotechnology and materials science, particularly in drug delivery systems.

The other recipients were biochemists Jennifer Doudna and Feng Zhang and bioengineers David Walt and Paul Yock, as well as the companies Moderna and Pfizer for their development of COVID-19 vaccines.

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created in 1980. Finalists are recommended by the National Medal of Technology and Innovation Evaluation Committee, an independent committee appointed by the secretary of commerce.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

On Jan. 4, Biden presented the nation’s highest civilian honor to several high-profile public figures, whom he called “truly extraordinary people who gave their sacred effort to shape the culture and cause of America.” Ash Carter, who began his career as a physicist and later served as the U.S. secretary of defense from 2015 to 2017, received the award posthumously. Bill Nye, a science educator known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, also received the award.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was created in 1963 to recognize people who have made “an especially meritorious contribution” to U.S. national security and interests, world peace, or cultural or other endeavors. Biden’s 2025 awardees range from politicians and philanthropists to artists and athletes.

Enrico Fermi Presidential Award

In December, three scientists at the Department of Energy received the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award, which encourages excellence in research in energy science and technology. Chemist Héctor Abruña at Cornell University was honored for advances in the development of batteries, fuel cells, and energy materials via electroanalytical chemistry. Nanoscientist and University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos was recognized for his work to produce nanocrystals and polymers with controlled size, shape, connectivity, and topology. Finally, John Nuckolls received the award for his leadership in inertial confinement fusion and high energy density physics, outstanding contributions to national security, and leadership of Lawrence Livermore National Lab at the end of the Cold War.

The Fermi award was established in 1956 in memoriam of Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi and his work in the development of nuclear power, and DOE has administered the award since 1977. Award recipients receive a $100,000 honorarium.