An array of awards by Royal assent
Our president, Professor Dame Carol Robinson, met Professor John B Goodenough, at a celebratory event held by the UK's academy of science, the Royal Society.
As we announced on Wednesday, the 2019 chemistry Nobel was awarded to John B Goodenough, M Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino, for their pioneering work in developing lithium-ion batteries.
That Professor Goodenough should be in London on the day of his long deserved Nobel recognition meant the Royal Society's annual prize giving ceremony took on an extra dimension of celebration.
At the age of 97, Professor Goodenough becomes the oldest ever recipient of a Nobel Prize, somewhat coincidentally, on the day that he received the oldest scientific prize in the world.
Royal Society Awards
The Royal Medals are one of the Royal Society’s premier awards and are made on behalf of the Queen each year. Awarded annually since 1825, this year’s recipients of the Royal Medals join the ranks of Fred Sanger, Francis Crick, and Mary Lyon.
The Royal Medals were founded by HM King George IV in 1825. Between 1826 and 1964 two medals were awarded each year. In 1965 the third medal, covering the applied sciences, was introduced on behalf of HM The Queen.
Royal Medal Citation: Professor Dame Carol Robinson DBE FRSC FMedSci FRS receives the Royal Medal for her pioneering work on structural biology improving the understanding of proteins, their interactions and functional regulation.
Royal Society, 2019
The Copley Medal is the Royal Society’s oldest and most prestigious award, given for outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science.
First awarded in 1731 following donations from Godfrey Copley FRS (PDF), it was initially awarded for the most important scientific discovery or for the greatest contribution made by experiment. The Copley Medal is thought to be the world's oldest scientific prize and it was awarded 170 years before the first Nobel Prize.
Notable winners include Benjamin Franklin, Dorothy Hodgkin, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin. The medal is of silver gilt, is awarded annually, alternating between the physical and biological sciences (odd and even years respectively), and is accompanied by a gift of £25,000.
Copley Medal Citation: Professor John Goodenough FRSC ForMemRS receives the Copley Medal in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the science and technology of materials, including his discovery that led to rechargeable lithium batteries.
Royal Society, 2019
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