Newly Minted as ‘Geniuses’

(Inside Science) -- It’s again the time of year for 20-25 high achievers in a wide range of fields to be contacted and awarded a $500,000 grant, to be paid out over 5 years, with no strings attached and no need to report anything back to the awarding body, the MacArthur Foundation.

On October 2, the foundation announced 23 new recipients, from musicians to writers, photographers to filmmakers, and doctors to geochemists. Here are links to biographies of the grantees and an FAQ page about the grants.

At least 11 of those awarded can be classified as scientists. They include an optical physicist working to develop the instruments required to find far flung planets, a geochemist investigating the forces behind the movement of geologic plates and a pediatric neurosurgeon working to treat intra-cranial diseases in infants and young children.

Please visit Inside Science again next week when we’ll feature reporting on the Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine.