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

From left to right: Richard Wall Lyman, Nell Irvin Painter, Heisuke Hironaka, and Jeffrey Alan Hoffman | Photograph by Jim Harrison

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

He was Harvard’s quintessential people person.

The former economics concentrator brings his talent for crunching numbers to netminding.

Graduates John Lithgow, Bill Rauch, and Bess Wohl took home prizes on Sunday night.

Most popular

A new proposed structure, layoffs, and a five-day-a-week in-person work mandate will take effect by fall.

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

Harvard Class of 2028 Demographics Disclosed

A decline in African American enrollment after the Supreme Court ruling

Explore More From Current Issue

Massachusetts Hall at Harvard Red brick building with a large clock on top, surrounded by green trees.

With a grade inflation vote and in the courts, the University argued that it’s taking steps to change.

Singer performing on stage with a guitar, wearing a hat, and surrounded by band instruments.

Singer Elisa Smith’s whiskey-soaked voice and subversive feminism is part of the genre’s urban shift.

Harvey Mansfield seated in a bright yellow chair, surrounded by bookshelves and cozy decor.

The retired government professor has been a rare conservative voice on campus for decades.