Students & Alumni | 6.5.2023

Centennial Medalists

Six alumni of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are honored.

From The July-August 2023 Issue

Group photo of Du Yun, Daniel Goleman, Mina Jahan Bissell, Sanford Greenberg, Catherine Gattegno Cesarsky, and John Dower

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences honorands (from left) Du Yun, Daniel Goleman, Mina Jahan Bissell, Sanford Greenberg, Catherine Gattegno Cesarsky, and John Dower
Photograph by Tony Rinaldo

The Griffin 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 2023 recipients, celebrated on May 24, are: Mina Jahan Bissell ’63, Ph.D. ’69, a pioneer in breast cancer research; Catherine Gattegno Cesarsky, Ph.D. ’72, one of the world’s leading astronomers; John Dower, A.M. ’61, Ph.D. ’72, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of Japan; Du Yun, Ph.D. ’06, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, musician, and visual artist; Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. ’74, psychologist, writer, and author of Emotional Intelligence (see more at harvardmag.com/goleman-98); and Sanford Greenberg, Ph.D. ’65, L ’68, an inventor, business leader, and philanthropist. The 2023 Centennial Medal award ceremony is available for viewing on the school’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@harvardgsas/videos). See longer biographies of the medalists at harvardmag.com/cen-medal-23.