Saturday 19 April 2025
Beyond the Nobel: 5 Esteemed Science Prizes to Celebrate Innovation
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There are many ways for medical and biological scientists to gauge their accomplishments and gain acknowledgment. Nevertheless, the most prominent way of scientific honor is through receiving renowned science prizes. Every October, scientists look forward to the announcement of the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, and medicine. It is an exciting moment for people working in these fields as it brings excitement and recognition.
However, many scientists working in other areas might go unnoticed because of the global recognition that comes with winning the Nobel Prize (the highest honor in science). Fortunately, scientists and mathematicians can receive the deserving recognition through other prestigious science prizes available.
Explore these five noteworthy science prizes that hold great prestige.
The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) bestows the Turing Award to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the advancement of computer science. In 1966 Alan J. Perlis got the inaugural award. As there is no Nobel Prize specifically for computer science, the Turning Award is equivalent to it.
Sponsored by tech behemoths Google and Intel, the winner gets the prize of $250,000. The award is named in honor of Alan Turing, commonly known as the father of computer science.
Every two years, the Technology Academy Finland gives the Millennium Technology Prize. The award is in recognition of ideas that aim at promoting a more sustainable and improved quality of life. Since its launch in 2004, the prize has given out 1 million (about $1.1 million) to appreciate groundbreaking inventions. This includes advancements such as affordable solar cells and next-generation DNA sequencing technology.
In 2024, North Carolina State Universitys engineer Bantval Jayant Baliga received this prize. He invented an insulated-gate bipolar transistor. This semiconductor is widely used in electric vehicles, home appliances, and wind and solar power systems. According to the academy, Baligas innovation has greatly increased the economics and efficiency of using renewable energy.
The Abel Prize is one of the recent and prominent prizes in mathematics, instituted by the King of Norway to honor exceptional mathematicians. In 2001, the Norwegian government announced the establishment of this award to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802-18929).
Interestingly, Karen Uhlenbeck, a mathematician from the University of Texas, is the only woman to receive the Abel Prize. She was honored in 2019 for her significant contributions to geometric analysis. Unlike the Nobel, the Abel Prizes are particularly designated to mathematicians under the age of 40.
The Draper Prize recognizes engineers of any discipline whose ideas have significantly improved the quality of life. The National Academy of Engineering awards the prize every two years, since 1989. The prize comes with a cash award of $500,000.
It bears the name Charles Stark Draper in honor of the American engineer known for developing a navigation technique. This invention enables aircraft, submarines, and spacecraftlike the ones utilized in the Apollo moon missions, to determine their position and velocity without relying on external reference.
Japanese industrialist Kazuo Inamori founded the Kyoto Prize in 1984 to honor exceptional achievements in the fields that are not typically, recognized by the Novel Prize.
The award comprises three categories: arts and philosophy, advanced technology, and basic sciences. Every year, the Inamori Foundation chooses one winner for each category, awarding them 100 million yen, or about $670,000.
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