APS, AAS, AMS Honor Three with 2003 Public Service Awards

Representatives Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) top, and Alan Mollohan (D-WV) bottom, receive their awards at a special ceremony on Capitol Hill. The third recipient, Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), was unable to be present at the ceremony.

In July, Senator Pete V. Domenici, Representative Sherwood Boehlert and Representative Alan Mollohan received the 2003 Public Service Award from the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the American Physical Society (APS).

The Public Service Award is given annually to recognize a public figure for his or her sustained and exceptional contributions to public policies that foster support for research, education, and industrial innovation in the physical sciences and mathematics.

Each of this year's three recipients has been a strong supporter of science in the 108th Congress. But Arthur Jaffe, past president of the AMS, noted, "While every Member of Congress shares this view of science, only a handful of Members put science near the top of their list of priorities. Today we recognize three such visionary leaders, and thank them."

This year, as Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Domenici ensured that authorization language for the Department of Energy included high levels of funding for basic science research.

"Senator Domenici is one of the Senate's strongest champions for Science in Congress," said APS President-elect Helen Quinn, who presented the award to him. "He deserves our thanks for his contributions to science policy issues."

Joseph A. Burns, AAS senior vice president, presented the award to Science Committee Chairman Boehlert, whom he praised for laboring "enthusiastically, both publicly and privately, for a strengthened and rationally funded national science policy.

"Boehlert's contributions as a cheerleader for the science community cannot be understated," Burns said, but he stressed that Boehlert also helped the community understand politics and Washington. "He tells us the facts of life and provides tough-minded advice."

Mollohan, minority leader of the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies subcommittee, has worked tirelessly on behalf of the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

"Alan Mollohan's behind-the-scenes work has been instrumental in the recent budget increases of the NSF," said Jaffe as he presented Mr. Mollohan his award. "Because of his long-standing interest in science, technology, and education, Congressman Mollohan has supported many initiatives to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics, science, and technology."

Prior awardees include: James T. Walsh and Barbara Mikulski (2002), Vernon Ehlers and Neal Lane (2001) and William Frist, Joseph I. Lieberman, and Harold Varmus (2000).