WARRENDALE, PA—The Materials Research Society (MRS) congratulates Mildred Dresselhaus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on today's award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States. Dresselhaus was among 19 winners honored today by President Barack Obama. The list also includes the late dancer Alvin Ailey, news anchor Tom Brokaw, actress Meryl Streep, musician Stevie Wonder and economist Robert Solow.
Dresselhaus "is one of the most prominent physicists, materials scientists, and electrical engineers of her generation," according to a White House statement. "A professor of physics and electrical engineering at MIT, she is best known for deepening our understanding of condensed matter systems and the atomic properties of carbon, which has contributed to major advances in electronics and materials research."
Dresselhaus is a long-time MRS member and active volunteer-serving on various MRS committees and editorial boards and engaging with MRS University Chapters and MRS leadership. She is an MRS Fellow and received the Society's highest honor, the Von Hippel Award, at the 2013 MRS Fall Meeting. Dresselhaus recently spoke to MRS about her life and work.
Dresselhaus has enjoyed a prolific publishing career, including numerous articles in the MRS Journals Collection. In fact, she is known to have published in the inaugural issue (Volume 1, Issue 01) of Journal of Materials Research—MRS's premier archival materials science journal—in 1986. In celebration of Dresselhaus and her tremendous achievements, MRS and its publishing partner, Cambridge University Press, have made articles from the MRS Journals Collection, authored by or about Dresselhaus, free until December 31. Visitjournals.cambridge.org/dresselhaus for details.
About the Materials Research Society
MRS is an organization of over 12,000 materials researchers from academia, industry and government worldwide, and a recognized leader in promoting the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research and technology to improve the quality of life. MRS members are students and professionals hailing from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering—the full spectrum of materials research. Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania (USA), MRS membership now spans 90 countries, with approximately 45 percent of members residing outside the United States.
MRS serves and engages members across generations to advance their careers and promote materials research and innovation. The Society produces high-quality meetings and publications, assuring that members of all career stages can present and publish their most important and timely work to an international and interdisciplinary audience. MRS continues to expand its professional development portfolio, as well as promote diversity and inclusion in the scientific workforce, with career services for researchers worldwide. The Society advocates for the importance of scientific research and innovation to policymakers and the community. And the MRS Awards program honors those whose work has already had a major impact in the field, as well as those whose work shows great promise for future leadership.
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