Three Honored With 29th Kyoto Prize

Three individuals have been awarded the 29th Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest private award for global achievement.

AsianScientist (Jun. 24, 2013) – Three individuals in their 80s have been awarded the 29th annual Kyoto Prize, providing real-life proof of the adage, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Dr. Robert Dennard, IBM Fellow and electronics engineer, will receive the Advanced Technology Prize in the field of Electronics. Dennard, 80, invented the basic structure of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), which is now extensively utilized as an integrated circuit (IC) memory system.

Dr. Masatoshi Nei, an evolutionary biologist and Professor at Penn State, will receive the Basic Sciences Prize in the field of Biological Sciences. Nei, 82, made it possible to discuss evolutionary divergence, genetic diversity, and the mode of selection on genes in a quantitative manner by devising diverse statistical methods such as Nei’s genetic distance, and applying them to molecular data.

Mr. Cecil Taylor, jazz pianist, will receive the Arts and Philosophy Prize in the field of Music. Taylor, 84, developed his innovative improvisation through distinctive musical constructions and percussive renditions, thereby opening new possibilities in jazz.

The Kyoto Prize is an international award given out annually by the The Inamori Foundation to honor those who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment of humankind. Including this year’s laureates, 93 individuals and one organization (The Nobel Foundation) have been honored with the Kyoto Prize.

At an upcoming November ceremony in Kyoto, Japan, each laureate will receive a diploma, a 20-carat gold Kyoto Prize medal and a cash gift of 50 million yen (US$500,000-630,000).

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Source: Kyoto Prize.
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