MacArthur Foundation Announces Genius Grants

Chagasi writes: "The MacArthur Foundation has announced this year's 'Genius Grant' awards. The complete list of the 24 recipients can be read here(1) at their web site and here(2) via Google's news service. The winners include a robotics researcher from Dartmouth studying robotics, and a paleoethnobotanist from Penn State studying the ancient plants and foods of prehistoric peoples."

Comments

diversity

[nydel]

i'm glad to see such diversity on the list of recipients; it goes from trombone improvisationalists to robotics engineers. it's good to see both linear and non-linear genius recognized by the same organization.

Re:diversity

[buswolley]

There are quite a few types of geniuses, which cannot always be quantisized empiricly. Musical, spatial, linear, hyper-linear :) , methodic,intuitive, social interaction, etc. And there are even more, of course.

i.e. Musical geniuses can be easily split between two groups: Those who can write good music, and those who can play it exceptionally well.(not neccessarily excluding each other).

It is good that genius isnt just Menza members. High I.Q. doesnt quite mean genius either.. Its all what you do with your brain.

1% inspiration, 99% perspiration (Einstein(I believe))

One of the awarded and his work

[jukal]

Daniel Jurafsky, 39, a University of Colorado linguist and computer scientist improving computers' capability of processing natural language.

His homepage, and research on Speech Recognition and Understanding and Computational Psycholinguistics . They have for example designed a discourse tagging system, in 1997.

You don't say?

[plastik55]

The winners include a robotics researcher from Dartmouth studying robotics, and a paleoethnobotanist from Penn State studying the ancient plants and foods of prehistoric peoples.

Among the other nominees I see we have a seismologist studying earthquakes, a historian studying history, and a novelist writing books.

Re:Parent is a pussy

[EvilSuggestions]

First wipe your mouth becasue you've still got your mother's shit on your lips ... I have the courtesy to not effect anothers, you brain dead shiteater.

I had been wondering how the MacArthur folks can so astutely tell the difference between geniuses and the rest of us, but perhaps it's not that challenging.

Google Images Shows Genuis Drawings

[deathcow]

Toba Khedoori's Drawings. She is one of the chosen.

They're "Fellows"

[BrianWCarver]

From the FAQ about MacArthur Fellows:

Q. Why does the program not use the term "genius" regarding its Fellows?

A. We avoid using the term "genius" to describe MacArthur Fellows because it connotes a singular characteristic of intellectual prowess. The people we seek to support express many other important qualities: ability to transcend traditional boundaries, willingness to take risks, persistence in the face of personal and conceptual obstacles, capacity to synthesize disparate ideas and approaches.

So calling them "Genius Grants" is apparently not quite right.

Brian

Woo hoo, arxiv.org founder wins big

[phr2]

Paul Ginsparg is a great choice for receiving an award. His arxiv.org server has had a huge impact on scientific publishing by distributing papers for free online. The Slashdot story The Future of Scientific Publishing describes some of that impact. Arxiv.org has been doing for math and science papers what the FSF has been doing for software.

Way to go, Macarthur Foundation!

Re:There is no diversity!!!

[buswolley]

As others have pointed out there are fewer "minorities" on the list. However we must make the distinction between a genius, and a genius who 'does'something. There probably is as many 'natural' geniuses in every minority group, but fewer geniuses in the groups manage to do something about it because of the social conditions in which they are raised.

Ie. There are few major women scientists from the renasiance.[sp?] This is not because they are dumber. Its because the culture didn't allow them to discover the genius inside them, and go out and do something about it.

C'mon slashdotters.. this is simple logic ,no?

about genius

[__aahlyu4518]

Genius is often recognized only after the person that contained and displayed that genius has passed away... I think that is true because they forgot ME.... AGAIN !

Re:Grants for open source developers

[WolfWithoutAClause]

Richard Stallman won one of these a few years ago; and he well deserved it too. Without the GPL or the toolset he created Linux would probably have languished in obscurity like Minix did.

Sheesh

[MxTxL]

The winners include a robotics researcher from Dartmouth studying robotics, and a paleoethnobotanist from Penn State studying the ancient plants and foods of prehistoric peoples."

Ok, i can see why they would need to tell us what a robotics researcher does, but sheesh, who in the world doesn't know what a paleoethnobotanist does??

Re:Grants for open source developers

[selan]

Tim Berners-Lee got one.

But if you want to lobby, good luck. The Macarthur process is set up to prevent lobbying. The nominees are secretly chosen by a secret group of nominaters drawn from a diverse group of people noted in their fields. The best way to get a Macarthur grant is to be known in your field for doing good, interesting work. So I think that Linus or Larry Wall actually have a good chance to get one, one of these years.

Excellent book

[selan]

Uncommon Genius: How Great Ideas Are Born by Denise G. Shekerjian

This is a great book about the Macarthur fellows and the fellowship program, and about creative thinking in general. It contains a series of interviews with forty fellows and tries to understand how they get their ideas.

Anyone want to write a /. review?

Re:Does a Genius Grant translate into success?

[Raiford]

Well at least one recipient continues to distinguish himself --> Steven Wolfram

Here's the reference to the Genius Award:

http://www.stephenwolfram.com/about-sw/interviews/ 81-nyt/