National Medal of Science Committee

Margaret Murnane - National Medal of Science Committee Chair
Margaret Murnane, a physics professor at Colorado University, was picked by President Obama to chair the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science. Murnane is a fellow of APS and is currently a member of the editorial board of Physical Review X, as well as a former executive board member. She has served on many of APS’s prize nominating committees and was a committee member, and later chair, of the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics.

Murnane’s research focuses on laser applications, specifically ultra fast laser pulses. In 2009, she and her team at JILA developed a tabletop x-ray laser produced by laser pulses. In addition she has also used laser pulses to study the motions of electrons, atoms, molecules and acoustic oscillations.

Call for Nominations
Concurrently, the committee has put out a call for nominations for the National Medal of Science, as well as the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, which is administered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Established in 1985, it is the highest national honor for technological innovation.

The committee for the National Medal of Science is looking for nominees whose work has significantly advanced science, as well as had broader impacts towards on society and other goals, such as advancing the national health, prosperity welfare or national security. The submission deadline for both awards is March 31, 2012. Submitters can nominate anyone except themselves and members of their immediate family.
  National Medal of Science Nominations
  National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nominations

About National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science, first established in 1959, is awarded by the president to individual scientists and engineers who have made significant contributions to science over the course of their careers. Administered by the National Science Foundation, it’s considered the highest national honor that can be given to a researcher. Murnane was first appointed to the committee that selects the recipients in 2010, and will now chair committee.