Several members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) are among the recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation — the nation’s highest honors for science and technology. President Biden presented the medals to the honorees during an Oct. 24 ceremony at the White House. 

Established by Congress in 1959 and administered by the National Science Foundation, the National Medal of Science is awarded to “individuals deserving of special recognition for their outstanding contributions in biology, computer sciences, education sciences, engineering, geosciences, mathematical and physical sciences, and social, behavioral, and economic sciences, in service to the nation.”  

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation recognizes American innovators “whose vision, intellect, creativity, and determination have strengthened America’s economy and improved our quality of life.” Established by Congress and administered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the first Medal of Technology was presented in 1985. 

National Medal of Science recipients are: 

• Huda Akil (NAS, NAM), University of Michigan  

• Barry C. Barish (NAS), California Institute of Technology  

• Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University 

• Eve E. Marder (NAS, NAM), Brandeis University  

• Gregory A. Petsko (NAS, NAM), Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women’s Hospital  

• Myriam Sarachik (NAS), The City College of New York (posthumously) 

• Subra Suresh (NAS, NAE, NAM), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University  

• Shelley E. Taylor (NAS, NAM emeritus), University of California, Los Angeles  

• Sheldon Weinbaum (NAS, NAE, NAM), The City College of New York  

Recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation are: 

• Mary-Dell Chilton (NAS), Syngenta Biotechnology Inc.  

• John M. Cioffi (NAE), Stanford University, ASSIA Inc.  

• Rory A. Cooper, University of Pittsburgh, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

• Ashok Gadgil (NAE), University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory  

• Juan E. Gilbert, University of Florida 

• Charles W. Hull, 3D Systems 

• Jeong H. Kim (NAE), Kiswe Mobile Inc.  

• Steven A. Rosenberg (NAM), National Cancer Institute  

• Neil Gilbert Siegel (NAE), University of Southern California 

• James G. Fujimoto (NAS, NAE) and Eric Swanson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and David Huang (NAE), Oregon Health & Science University (team)