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NUCLEAR PHYSICIST MARSHALL ROSENBLUTH TO RECEIVE NATION’S HIGHEST SCIENTIFIC AWARD FROM PRESIDENT CLINTON

President Clinton will present the nation's highest science and engineering honor, the National Medal of Science, to Marshall N. Rosenbluth, a nuclear physicist at the University of California, San Diego. Rosenbluth is one of fourteen outstanding scientists, inventors and business leaders being honored by the President on December 16 at a ceremony in the Old Executive Office Building.

In addition to Rosenbluth, three other medalists from California are being honored for their work. Two University of California, Berkeley researchers -- Darleane C. Hoffman, a nuclear chemist; and Harold S. Johnston, an atmospheric chemist -- will receive National Medals of Science, and inventor Ray M. Dolby of Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco will receive a National Medal of Technology, the nation's most prestigious technology honor.

When President Clinton announced the 1997 recipients earlier this spring he said, "This year's fourteen medalists are exemplary leaders in research, innovation, and imagination. Their achievements have opened new scientific frontiers, enabled new products, and created new capabilities that have transformed our lives and that will shape our future."

Rosenbluth, professor and research physicist at UCSD, will receive the National Medal of Science for his discoveries in controlled thermonuclear fusion, contributions to plasma physics and work in computational statistical mechanics. He currently is in charge of theoretical aspects of an international project to design and build a thermonuclear reactor to test the feasibility of such reactors for energy production. Rosenbluth also is a consultant to the Department of Defense on such issues as anti-submarine warfare and free electron lasers.

Hoffman, currently at UC Berkeley's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will receive the National Medal of Science for her research in nuclear chemistry. Specifically, she was cited for her discovery of primordial plutonium in nature and the symmetric spontaneous fission of heavy nuclei.

Johnston, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry at the UC Berkeley, will receive the National Medal of Science for his atmospheric research examining the effects of nitrogen compounds on the chemistry of the stratosphere. Johnston, who has been praised as a pioneer in chemical kinetics and atmospheric chemistry, was the first to point out the potential effects the exhaust from proposed supersonic transport planes could have on the Earth's ozone layer.

Dolby will receive the National Medal of Technology for inventing technologies that made dramatic improvements in sound recording and reproduction. In the field of entertainment, these technologies have brought Dolby other awards, including two Oscars, an Emmy and a Grammy. Dolby's name has become a trademark, and "Star Wars" producer George Lucas has praised him for propelling motion picture sound from mono to stereo.

Nationally, other medalists include Internet pioneers Vinton G. Cerf of MCI and Robert E. Kahn of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, who were among the Medal of Technology recipients. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Robert A. Weinberg, who established the genetic causes of cancer, is among the science medalists.

National Science Foundation director Neal Lane called the medalists "superstars" who often work in anonymity. "It is fitting that on this one day at least, we shine a spotlight on the benefits bestowed on society by the very best minds in modern science and applaud these sterling contributions to humanity's store of knowledge," Lane said.

"We honor these individuals with America's version of the Nobel Prize," said Commerce Secretary William M. Daley. "Their work and vision embodies the vital link between technology and innovation."

The National Medal of Science, established by Congress and administered by the National Science Foundation, honors the impact of individuals on the present state of knowledge in one of the following fields: mathematical, physical, biological, geological, social, behavioral and economic sciences, and engineering. The medal has now been awarded to 353 distinguished scientists and engineers such as Eugene M. Shoemaker, co-discoverer of the Shoemaker-Levy comet; economist Milton Friedman; and C. Kumar N. Patel, who invented the carbon dioxide laser, which helped revolutionize such fields as medical surgery.

The National Medal of Technology recognizes American innovators whose vision, intellect, creativity and sheer determination have made profound and lasting contributions to our economy and quality of life. Established by Congress and administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Medal has honored 98 individuals or teams, and eight companies. Past recipients include Bill Gates of Microsoft, Gordon Moore of Intel, and the world's largest and most comprehensive health care company, Johnson & Johnson.

The National Science & Technology Medals Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, established a public-private partnership to fund activities that support the awarding of both national medals. One of this foundation's missions is to inspire America's youth to pursue excellence in science and technology by promoting the medal recipients as role models. The Foundation also strives to broaden public understanding of the link between scientific and technological excellence and economic prosperity, job creation and a higher standard of living.

"The laureates of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology are national treasures whose intellect and ingenuity help light our way to a better future," said John Hocker, executive director of the National Science & Technology Medals Foundation. "This country achieved greatness, in part, through its vast natural resources. Among our most valuable resources are our National Medal Laureates, past, present and future."