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MacArthur Foundation Announces Genius Grants

Posted by chrisd on from the chrisd-pinhead-awards-to-follow dept.

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."

4 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. You don't say? by plastik55 · · Score: 5, Funny
    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.

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  2. They're "Fellows" by BrianWCarver · · Score: 5, Informative

    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
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  3. Woo hoo, arxiv.org founder wins big by phr2 · · Score: 5, Informative
    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!

  4. Re:Grants for open source developers by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

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