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AROUND THE QUADS
In Lumine Tuo
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Quads |
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 AWARDED: Five Columbia professors were among
those who received the 2002 Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in
Science and Technology from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
on June 13 at the New York Hall of Science. The Columbia professors
were honored for their breakthrough research in neurobiology,
applied mathematics, biochemistry and physics.
Professor Brian Greene, a leading physicist in super-string
theory and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe
(Vintage Books, 2000), was honored for his impact on the
public’s understanding of science through his book and
outreach to society that have increased awareness of the
development of super-string theory. Professor Thomas Jessell, a
renowned neurobiologist who studies the molecular mechanisms that
control the early development of the vertebrate nervous system, won
in the biological and medical sciences category. Professor Joel
Cohen of the Earth Institute and SIPA, who studies human and
non-human populations, won in the mathematical, physical and
engineering category. Professors Rafael Yuste, a neurobiologist,
and Anna Marie Pyle, a biochemist, won in the Young Investigator
category, which recognizes outstanding researchers younger than 40.
Yuste’s research has focused on understanding the function of
the cerebral cortex, while Pyle has made major contributions to the
field of nucleic acid chemistry and our understanding of the
structure and function of the various forms of DNA and RNA, in
particular ribozymes, a catalytic form of RNA.
The honorees are chosen through a comprehensive process that
includes all of the city’s scientific, medical and
engineering communities. The New York Academy of Science
administers the review process, and the mayor chooses winners from
a list of finalists submitted by the academy.
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