Scientific Societies Present Year 2001 Public Service Awards

Washington, D.C. — Three major scientific societies presented their Year 2001 Public Service Awards at a ceremony at the Rayburn House Office Building, Wednesday, May 16. The honorees are Congressman Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) and Dr. Neal Lane, former Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. The awards are given jointly by the American Astronomical Society, the American Mathematical Society, and the American Physical Society, which collectively represent more than 100,000 scientists and mathematicians. The awards are given for committed and sustained efforts in support of science.

Congressman Ehlers, one of two physicists in Congress, has been a champion for science research and education throughout his congressional career. Recently he has concentrated on K-12 science and mathematics education, introducing several bills to facilitate improvement in science and mathematics learning and teaching. Congressman Ehlers is a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, as well as the House Committee on Science, and Chair of its Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards.

Dr. Lane is a former Director of the National Science Foundation. He was instrumental in raising science research and education to a high priority in the Clinton Administration. The FY 2001 Federal budget, in which science agency budgets received much larger increases than in recent years, reflected Lane's efforts. Currently, Lane is University Professor and Senior Fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.

Contact: Sam Rankin, Director, American Mathematical Society Washington D.C. Office
Tel: 202-588-1100
Email: smr@ams.org

Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the 30,000-member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.