St. Louis, MO -- Ten early career researchers, whose work could shape our knowledge of the world around us, are now each the recipient of a $1 million research fellowship awarded to their sponsoring institution, by the McDonnell Foundation. The James S. McDonnell Centennial Fellowships target scientist-scholars whose work will contribute substantially to the development of knowledge and its responsible application in the next century.
"The great poet W.C. Auden called scientists the people who transform the world," said Susan Fitzpatrick, McDonnell Foundation program director. "The research carried out by the Centennial Fellowship recipients certainly has the potential to transform the way we think of our world."
The James S. McDonnell Centennial Fellowships are being awarded to two
scientist-scholars in each of five categories:
Astrophysics and cosmology
Human genetics
Global and complex systems
Human cognition
History and philosophy of science
The awards mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of James S. McDonnell, whose company became the McDonnell Douglas Corporation and who established the McDonnell Foundation in 1950.
The James S. McDonnell Centennial Fellowship recipients are:
Stanislas Dehaene, INSERM, Paris, France (Human cognition)
Daniel Povinelli, University of Southwestern Louisiana (Human cognition)
Wendy Bickmore, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburg, Scotland (Human genetics)
Leonid Kruglyak, Whitehead Institute (Human genetics)
Christopher Stubbs, University of Washington (Astrophysics and cosmology)
John Carlstrom, University of Chicago (Astrophysics and cosmology)
Mercedes Pascual, University of Maryland (Global and complex systems)
Stefan Rahmstorf, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Global and
complex systems)
Kathleen Akins, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia (History and
philosophy of science)
Keith Wailoo, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (History and
philosophy of science)
"We believe that these $1 million fellowships are a fitting investment by the McDonnell Foundation in the future. The life work of these scientists and scholars has the power to shape mankind's future," stated McDonnell Foundation President, John Bruer.
Candidates were judged by an international panel of distinguished scientists and scholars, who considered entrants' scholarly promise, excellence of research programs, and ability to communicate the relevance of the research to broad audiences. Additional selection criteria in the international competition included an essay in which the candidates discussed the relevance of their research to issues facing society as it enters the 21st Century. This contrasts with most awards and grants to scientists, which do not take into account the broader ramifications of an awardeeís research.
"James S. McDonnell believed that science and technology gave mankind the power to shape the future and the obligation to shape that future to benefit what is noble in mankind," said John McDonnell. "These recipients personify my father's ideals."
The public will have a chance to hear about the research when the fellow recipients present their work at the Centennial Fellowship Symposium April 8-9, 1999 in Washington, D.C.
Visit the James S. McDonnell Foundation World Wide Web site http://www.jsmf.org.
Contacts: Allison Ward 305-445-6220 wardgroup@hitthebeach.com
Christopher Malter 954-349-9102 lmcomm@aol.com