Alumni | June 8, 2020

2020 GSAS Centennial Medalists

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ honorands

From The July-August 2020 Issue

Pictured are Stephen Cook, Albert Fishlow, Helen Vendler, and Margaret Kivelson — Clockwise from top left: Stephen Cook, Albert Fishlow, Helen Vendler, and Margaret Kivelson.
Photographs courtesy of Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

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 studies. It is the highest honor GSAS bestows, and awardees include some of Harvard’s most accomplished alumni. The 2020 recipients, announced on May 27, are: Stephen Cook, Ph.D. ’66, a computational theorist and mathematician; Albert Fishlow, Ph.D. ’63, a development economist and historian; Margaret Kivelson ’50, Ph.D. ’57, RI ’66, a space and planetary physicist; and Helen Vendler, Ph.D. ’60, Porter University Professor emerita, beloved Harvard teacher and poetry critic. For more about the honorands, see harvardmag.com/centennial-20.

Published in the July-August 2020 print issue under the headline “Centennial Medalists,” in the Alumni section.

You might also like

A man in a suit waves while smiling, with greenery in the background.

He was Harvard’s quintessential people person.

A man in a tuxedo gestures while holding an award on a stage.

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

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.

Most popular

Soccer player and goalkeeper Matt Freese standing in front of the net

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

A blue refrigerator covered with animal pictures, notes, and drawings, surrounded by greenery.

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

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

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

University News

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

Graduates in caps and gowns celebrate joyfully, raising their hands in excitement.

Commencement

Conan O’Brien headlines a star-studded cast

Label showing the anatomy of a worker bee, featuring a detailed illustration.

Museums & Collections

Science and art capture the microscopic natural world.