On May 19, Joseph DeSimone, Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, will receive the nation’s highest honors for achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of science and technology.
A distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, DeSimone will be among the eight innovators who will be awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama.
“Science and technology are fundamental to solving some of our Nation’s biggest challenges,” Obama said. “The knowledge produced by these Americans today will carry our country’s legacy of innovation forward and continue to help countless others around the world. Their work is a testament to American ingenuity.”
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created by statute in 1980 and is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognizes those who have made lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen the Nation’s technological workforce. A distinguished independent committee representing the private and public sectors submits recommendations to the President.
A livestream of the award ceremony will be broadcasted on UNC.edu starting at 2:30 p.m.
