Langer a winner of Spain's Asturias award

June 5, 2008

Institute Professor Robert Langer is one of five scientists to receive a top Spanish honor, the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research. The five were recognized as "worldwide leaders in the creation of new materials for the benefit of mankind."

Langer was cited for developing "novel biomimetic materials in the form of polymers, nanoparticles or chips which permit the controlled delivery of drugs throughout the human body."

Each winner will receive a diploma, a Joan Miró sculpture, an insignia bearing the Foundation's coat of arms and a cash prize of 50,000 Euros ($78,000).

"I'm deeply honored to receive this wonderful award. It's a privilege to be considered in the same category as the past and current recipients," Langer said.

The Prince of Asturias Awards have been awarded annually since 1981 in eight different categories: Technical and Scientific Research, Arts, International Cooperation, Communication and Humanities, Social Sciences and Letters and Sports and Concord.

The Prince of Asturias Foundation was named for His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, Heir to the throne of Spain. One of the main objectives of the Foundation is to uphold and promote "all those scientific, cultural and humanistic values that form the heritage of humanity." The awards will be presented in the autumn at a grand ceremony chaired by H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 11, 2008 (download PDF).