Sigma Xi honors Alan Lightman

January 27, 2006

Alan Lightman, adjunct professor of humanities, has been chosen to receive Sigma Xi's 2006 John P. McGovern Science and Society Award.

Lightman is a physicist, essayist, educator and best-selling novelist. His essays on science, reviews and short fiction have appeared in The New Yorker, Smithsonian, Discover, Harper's, Nature and The New York Times. His 1993 novel, "Einstein's Dreams," was an international bestseller.

The John P. McGovern Science and Society Award, presented annually since 1984 for contributions to science and society, consists of a medal and $4,000. Lightman will receive the award and deliver the John P. McGovern Science and Society Lecture at Sigma Xi's annual meeting in November in Detroit.

MIT recipients of the award include Institute Professor Mario Molina in 2002 and Institute Professor Philip Morrison in 1994.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on February 1, 2006 (download PDF).

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