The William O. Baker Award for Initiatives in Research, previously the NAS Award for Initiatives in Research, is awarded annually by the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
"to recognize innovative young scientists and to encourage research likely to lead toward new capabilities for human benefit. The award is to be given to a citizen of the United States, preferably no older than 35 years of age. The field of presentation rotates among the physical sciences, engineering, and mathematics."
The award was established in 1981 in honor of
William O. Baker by
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984),
then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996)
and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007),
is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mult ...
and is supported by
Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications equipment company headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey. It was established on September 30, 1996, through the divestiture of the former AT&T Technologies business u ...
.
Recipients
Source
National Academy for Sciences
*
Benjamin Recht (2015, statistics and machine learning) For his significant contributions at the confluence of optimization, signal processing and statistics, including seminal work on matrix completion.
*
Garnet Kin-Lic Chan (2014, numerical simulations in condensed matter and materials) For pioneering research in the field of numerical simulation of highly correlated quantum systems in chemistry and physics, particularly for his development of density matrix renormalization group methods and the
density matrix embedding theory.
*
Theodore Betley (2013, catalysis) For his development and mechanistic elucidation of remarkable iron catalysts for carbon-hydrogen bond functionalization.
*
Christopher Bettinger
Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
(2012, materials science) For innovative research on advanced materials for next-generation implanted medical devices.
*
Martin T. Zanni Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
(2011, optical sciences) For revolutionary advances in multidimensional spectroscopies, which are enabling discoveries in biological, medical, and condensed matter chemical systems.
* (2010, numerical methods) For development of fast algorithms in mathematical physics, operator compression, and linear algebra, using deep, innovative ideas based on randomization and harmonic analysis.
*
Ali Javey (2009, nanoscience) For seminal advances in carbon nanoelectronics, utilizing and synthesizing concepts from chemistry, physics, and engineering.
*
Anna C. Gilbert
Anna Catherine Gilbert (born 1972) is an American mathematician who works as the Herman Goldstine Collegiate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Michigan. She also holds a courtesy appointment in electrical engineering and computer sci ...
(2008, computational science and applied mathematics) For innovative algorithms using wavelets and sampling techniques and their impact on data analysis and sparse approximation.
*
Shanhui Fan
Shanhui Fan (; born 1972) is a Chinese-born American electrical engineer and physicist, with a focus on theoretical, computational and numerical aspects of photonics and electromagnetism. He is a professor of electrical engineering, and a profes ...
(2007, optical science)
For innovative research on the theory and applications of photonic crystal devices.
*
David Goldhaber-Gordon (2006, condensed matter/materials science)
For his fundamental studies of electron correlations in mesoscopic structures.
*
Ronald Fedkiw
Ronald Paul "Ron" Fedkiw (born February 27, 1968) is a full professor in the Stanford University department of computer science and a leading researcher in the field of computer graphics, focusing on topics relating to physically based simulatio ...
(2005, computational science/applied mathematics )
For his many innovations in the modeling and numerical simulation of flows and his pioneering contributions to physically based computer graphics.
*
Yoel Fink Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to:
* Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name.
* Joel (surname), a surname
* Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...
(2004, condensed matter/materials science)
For his pioneering contributions and ingenuity in the creative design and development of photonic materials and devices.
*
David R. Karger (2003, algorithms and computation)
For the elegant use of randomness to design improved algorithms for classically studied problems such as network flow, graph coloring, finding minimum trees, and finding minimum cuts.
*
Deborah S. Jin (2002, quantum electronics)
For her experimental realization and characterization of a new quantum system, the vapor-phase degenerate Fermi gas.
*
Jon M. Kleinberg (2001, computational science/applied mathematics)
For his development of deep and innovative algorithms to solve fundamental problems in network, information extraction, and discrete optimization.
*
Kenneth A. Farley (2000, geochemistry/geophysics)
For his insightful use of isotope geochemistry to address the origin of Earth's atmosphere, the infall of cosmic dust, and the uplift rates of mountains.
*
Jennifer A. Doudna (1999, biomedical science)
For her pioneering studies, which have enabled the determination of complex RNA structures, especially those of ribozymes, through X-ray crystallography.
*
Arthur W. Lupia (1998, social and political sciences)
For his contribution to our understanding of the importance of knowledge, learning, and persuasion to political decision-making by voters, legislators, and jurors.
*
Matthew P. A. Fisher
Matthew P. A. Fisher is an American theoretical physicist and Professor of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is known for several major contributions to condensed matter physics. He completed his bachelor's degree in en ...
(1997, condensed matter physics)
For his seminal contributions to the theory of the vortex-glass phase, the superconductor-insulator transition, and the quantum properties of mesoscopic wires and n-leg Hubbard ladders.
*
Christopher Stubbs
Christopher Stubbs (born March 12, 1958) is an Experimental physics, experimental physicist currently on the faculty at Harvard University in both the Department of Physics and the Department of Astronomy. He is the current Dean of Science at Harv ...
(1996, astrophysics)
For his innovative development and utilization of instrumentation to attack fundamental issues in physics and astronomy, including the discovery of baryonic dark matter in the galactic halo.
*
Thomas D. Albright
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
(1995, systems neuroscience)
For his fundamental contributions to the understanding of motion perception through the creative integration of single-unit electrophysiology in monkeys, human psychophysics, and computational modeling.
*
Joanne Chory
Joanne Chory is an American plant biologist and geneticist. Chory is a professor and director of the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical I ...
(1994, plant molecular biology)
For her pioneering genetic and molecular approaches that have altered our understanding of how photomorphogenesis in plants is controlled by photoreceptor signal transduction pathways.
*
R. Eric Betzig (1993, physics)
For his implementation of a near-field scanning optical microscope, which extends the resolution of optical microscopy far beyond the diffraction limit to dimensions as small as one-fortieth of an optical wavelength.
*
Alice P. Gast (1992, chemical engineering)
For her innovative experimental and theoretical research of polymer and colloidal systems leading to discoveries of new microscopic phenomena.
* (1992, chemical engineering)
For his refinement of mathematical techniques in low Reynolds number hydrodynamics, and for his development of novel computer strategies for solving complex chemical engineering problems.
*
Noam D. Elkies (1991, mathematics)
For his distinguished research in number theory, particularly his work on elliptic curves over the rational numbers and his remarkable constructions of dense sphere packings in Euclidean space.
*
James G. Fujimoto (1990, quantum electronics)
For his contributions to femtosecond quantum electronics and applications of subpicosecond lasers to studies of electronic materials and biological tissues.
* (1990, quantum electronics)
For his contributions to femtosecond quantum electronics and applications of subpicosecond lasers to study ultrafast processed in molecular systems and semiconductor heterostructures.
*
John K. Ousterhout (1989, engineering)
For his outstanding achievements in the engineering of software ranging from operating systems to the computer-aided design of VLSI circuits.
*
Marc L. Mansfield Marc or MARC may refer to:
People
* Marc (given name), people with the first name
* Marc (surname), people with the family name
Acronyms
* MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging,
* MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...
(1988, applied polymer chemistry and physics)
For his outstanding theoretical studies of the structure and properties of amorphous and semicrystalline polymers.
*
Jeremy Nathans
Jeremy Nathans (born July 31, 1958) is a professor of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
He is known f ...
(1987, genetics)
For providing molecular genetic proof of the Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory of color vision and for defining the changes in DNA in colorblindness.
*
David R. Nelson
David R. Nelson (born May 9, 1951) is an American physicist, and Arthur K. Solomon Professor of Biophysics, at Harvard University.
Education and research
David R. Nelson is currently thArthur K. Solomon Professor of Biophysics and Professor o ...
(1986, materials science)
For his contributions to the understanding of imperfectly ordered systems including hexactics, liquid crystals, glasses, and icosahedral order in liquids.
*
Steven E. Lindow
Steven Earl Lindow (born 1951) is an American plant pathologist. He has researched the application of transgenic bacteria to prevent frost damage in crops as well as using bacteria to prevent russeting of fruit. He is a member of several scienti ...
(1985, applied biology)
For his pioneering research, demonstrating the role of epiphytic bacteria in ice nucleation and resultant frost damage to plants, the feasibility of biological as well as chemical control of frost injury, and the genetic control of ice nucleation in bacteria.
*
Robert E. Tarjan
Robert Endre Tarjan (born April 30, 1948) is an American computer scientist and mathematician. He is the discoverer of several graph algorithms, including Tarjan's off-line lowest common ancestors algorithm, and co-inventor of both splay trees ...
(1984, computer science and engineering)
For his leadership in the subtle design of the most efficient algorithms known for many fundamental problems related to graphs and other combinatorial structures.
*
Stephen M. Kosslyn (1983, behavioral and social sciences)
For his development of a comprehensive theory of visual imagery and its representation in the human memory system.
*
Kerry E. Sieh (1982, geochemistry/geophysics)
For his development and application of innovative field techniques for studying
active fault
An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,0 ...
s to identify and date paleoearthquakes, thereby providing quantitative assessment of earthquake hazards.
*
Gary D. Patterson (1981, polymer science)
For his outstanding theoretical and experimental contributions to polymer science, particularly in the application of light scattering measurements to the understanding of polymer chain dynamics.
References
External links
NAS Award for Initiatives in Research
{{National Academy of Sciences, state=collapsed
Awards established in 1981
Awards of the United States National Academy of Sciences