[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7992-7993]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2004 FRANKLIN INSTITUTE LAUREATES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. CURT WELDON

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 28, 2004

  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
the 2004 Franklin Institute Laureates being honored in a gold-medal 
ceremony tomorrow in the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in 
Philadelphia, for exemplary accomplishments in science, technology, and 
business.
  The Franklin Institute first began recognizing achievement in science 
and technology in 1824--making the Franklin Institute Awards one of the 
most historic and long-standing science honors in the world, predating 
the Nobel Prize by almost 75 years. In its very early years, honors 
were given to scientists and engineers whose products and inventions 
best improved life in our young nation.
  Today, the Institute bestows the Franklin Medals, named for America's 
first great scientist and founding father, Benjamin Franklin, to an 
international group of scientists, engineers, and business leaders, 
whose achievements, innovations, and discoveries have improved the 
human condition and solved mysteries of our world. Some are honored for 
careers which have inspired thousands; others, for one incredible 
breakthrough upon which whole industries or entirely new fields of 
thought have been founded. Additionally, since 1990 the Institute has 
awarded the Bower Awards for Business Leadership and Science 
Achievement, which carries with it one of the largest cash prizes in 
the world. This year, the Bower Awards are awarded to one scientist and 
one business leader who have distinguished themselves in the field of 
brain research.

[[Page 7993]]

  A list of previous Franklin Institute award winners is a roll call of 
brilliance for the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Over 2,000 
individuals have been honored by the Institute over the past 180 years, 
including luminaries like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison, 
Orville and Wilbur Wright, Madame and Pierre Curie, Albert Einstein, 
Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn, Stephen Hawking, David Packard and Jane 
Goodall.
  Tomorrow, at the Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony, seven special 
people will join these esteemed ranks, in fields ranging from 
computational complexity to magnetic resonance imaging. Their 
cumulative work has had an enormous impact on humankind--from the 
display technology in our cell phones and PDA's to revolutionary 
materials used in space flight; from non-invasive treatment and 
diagnosis of disease and injury to a better understanding of lifegiving 
processes like photosynthesis; from enabling parents to see their child 
months before birth, to enabling businesses to solve extremely complex 
problems quickly and efficiently, to the fundamental, groundbreaking 
experiments that displayed the genetic basis of behavior.
  I am honored to invite this Congress and the nation to join me in 
congratulating:
  2004 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science in the Field of 
Brain Research, Seymour Benzer, Ph.D.--For pioneering discoveries that 
both founded and greatly advanced the field of neurogenetics, thereby 
transforming the understanding of the brain.
  2004 Bower Award for Business Leadership in the Field of Brain 
Research, Raymond V. Damadian, M.D.--For his development of magnetic 
resonance imaging used in clinical applications, which has transformed 
the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
  2004 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, Harry B. Gray, Ph.D.--For 
his pioneering contributions in the field of electron transfer in 
metalloproteins.
  2004 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science, 
Richard M. Karp, Ph.D.--For his contributions to the understanding of 
computational complexity.
  2004 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering, Robert E. 
Newnham, Ph.D.--For his invention of multiphase piezoelectric 
transducers and their spatial architecture, which revolutionized the 
field of acoustic imaging.
  2004 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering, Roger Bacon, 
Ph.D.--For his fundamental research on the production of graphite 
whiskers and the determination of their microstructure and properties, 
for his pioneering development efforts in the production of the world's 
first continuously processed carbon fibers and the world's first high 
modulus, high strength carbon fibers using rayon precursors, and for 
his contributions to the development of carbon fibers from alternative 
starting materials.
  2004 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics, Robert B. Meyer, Ph.D.--For 
his creative synthesis of theory and experiment demonstrate that 
tilted, layered liquid crystal phases of chiral molecules are 
ferroelectric, thus launching both fundamental scientific advancement 
in the field of soft condensed matter physics and the development of 
liquid crystal displays that meet the demands of current technology.
  The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is delighted to honor and welcome 
these amazing scientists and to host this fantastic celebration of 
their work. Moreover, Pennsylvania is proud of its most visited and 
most beloved museum, The Franklin Institute, for its distinguished 
record of recognizing genius and innovation.

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