The 2011 Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medalists

Four scholars whose contributions to society were fostered at Harvard

From left to right: Richard Wall Lyman, Nell Irvin Painter, Heisuke Hironaka, and Jeffrey Alan Hoffman

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 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 2011 recipients, announced at a ceremony on May 25, are: Heisuke Hironaka, Ph.D. ’60, Fields Medal-winning mathematician and popular author of 26 books on science, mathematics, education, and creativity; space-walking astrophysicist Jeffrey Alan Hoffman, Ph.D. ’71, professor of the practice of aerospace engineering at MIT; historian and former Stanford president Richard Wall Lyman, Ph.D. ’54, now Stanford’s Sterling professor of humanities emeritus; and scholar of U.S. history Nell Irvin Painter, Ph.D. ’74, Edwards professor of history emerita at Princeton.

Related topics

You might also like

A New Prescription for Youth Mental Health

Kenyan entrepreneur Tom Osborn ’20 reimagines care for a global crisis.

The Artist Edward Gorey—and Pets—at Harvard

Winter exhibits at Houghton Library   

A (Truly) Naked Take on Second-Wave Feminism

Playwright Bess Wohl’s Liberation opens on Broadway.

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

The Origins of Europe’s Most Mysterious Languages

A small group of Siberian hunter-gatherers changed the way millions of Europeans speak today.

The Harvard Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

Explore More From Current Issue

Students in purple jackets seated on chairs, facing away in a grassy area.

A New Prescription for Youth Mental Health

Kenyan entrepreneur Tom Osborn ’20 reimagines care for a global crisis.

Three book covers arranged in a row on a beige background with a red border.

Must-Read Harvard Books Winter 2025

From aphorisms to art heists to democracy’s necessary conditions 

Aisha Muharrar with shoulder-length hair, wearing a green blazer and white shirt.

Parks and Rec Comedy Writer Aisha Muharrar Gets Serious about Grief

With Loved One, the Harvard grad and Lampoon veteran makes her debut as a novelist.