White House honors innovators with science and technology medals

A U.S. Army veteran now working with the Department of Veterans Affairs and a retired senior scientist at the Berkeley National Lab are among the recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded Tuesday by President Joe Biden.

Rory Cooper, an engineer who served in the Army for six years, was honored with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for multiple inventions that support mobility for wheelchair users. Cooper helped found the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a collaboration between the VA and the University of Pittsburgh.

Ashok Gadgil, a retired senior scientist at the Berkeley Lab, was also awarded the technology medal for "providing life-sustaining resources to communities around the world" via low-cost innovations such as fuel efficient stoves and safe drinking water technologies.

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation — as well as the National Medal of Science, which was also awarded Tuesday —is given to individuals who have “made exemplary achievements in science, technology and innovation to strengthen our nation’s well-being,” per the announcement.

The recipients have made contributions to areas like medical treatments, improving food security and securing the democratic process. 

The recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation:

• Mary-Dell Chilton, Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.
• John M. Cioffi, Stanford University, ASSIA, Inc.
• Rory A. Cooper, University of Pittsburgh, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Ashok Gadgil, University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Juan E. Gilbert, University of Florida
• Charles W. Hull, 3D Systems
• Jeong H. Kim, Kiswe Mobile, Inc.
• Steven A. Rosenberg, National Cancer Institute
• Neil Gilbert Siegel, University of Southern California
• James G. Fujimoto and Eric Swanson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and David Huang, Oregon Health & Science University (team) 

The recipients of the National Medal of Science:

• Huda Akil, University of Michigan
• Barry C. Barish, California Institute of Technology
• Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University
• Eve E. Marder, Brandeis University
• Gregory A. Petsko, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
• Myriam Sarachik, (posthumously) The City College of New York
• Subra Suresh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University
• Shelley E. Taylor, University of California, Los Angeles
• Sheldon Weinbaum, The City College of New York