Centennial Medalists for 2012 include Aaron, Eikenberry, Hopkins, Keohane

A literary scholar, an East Asia expert, a trailblazing biologist, and a specialist on international relations are honored.

Top row, from left: Daniel Aaron and Karl Eikenberry. Bottom row, from left: Nancy Hopkins and Robert Keohane

Top row, from left: Daniel Aaron and Karl Eikenberry. Bottom row, from left: Nancy Hopkins and Robert Keohane | Photographs by Martha Stewart

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medal, first awarded in 1989 on the occasion of the school’s hundredth anniversary, honors alumni who have made notable contributions to society that emerged from their graduate study at Harvard. It is the highest honor the Graduate School bestows, and awardees include some of Harvard’s most accomplished alumni. The 2012 recipients, announced at a ceremony on May 23, are: Daniel Aaron, Ph.D. ’43, Litt.D. ’07, founding president of the Library of America and Thomas professor of English and American literature emeritus at Harvard; East Asia expert Karl Eikenberry, A.M. ’81, a political and military leader who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2011; Nancy Hopkins ’64, Ph.D. ’71, a professor of biology at MIT who has blazed a trail for women in science; and international-relations scholar Robert Keohane, Ph.D. ’66, professor of public and international affairs at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School.

You might also like

Derek Bok donated his car for a good cause.

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

David Battat promotes alumni engagement.

Most popular

Social Media Use and Adult Depression

A survey reveals suprising links between social media use and depression in adults.

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

All That’s Unseen charts the Harvard graduate’s uneasy journey from Appalachia to Cambridge and back.  

Explore More From Current Issue

A vibrant illustration of a red car parked, surrounded by cheerful people and historic buildings.

Derek Bok donated his car for a good cause.

A smiling elderly man in glasses sits comfortably in a striped armchair.

Plus, veteran higher education leader Thomas Ehrlich reflects on university curricula for his 70th reunion

Three hands hold smartphones displaying social media profiles with likes and hearts.

Tell us about how social media impacts your daily life.