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Harvard Scientist Federico Capasso Wins Tomassoni Award
Award given by the Physics Department of the University of Rome "La Sapienza" recognizes and encourages his outstanding achievements in physics
Cambridge, Mass. - March 29, 2004 - Harvard University's Federico Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering, has won the 2004 Caterina Tomassoni and Felice Pietro Chisesi prize, for his "contributions to the development of the so-called bandgap engineering, and in particular, for his pioneering work on the quantum laser that represents one of the most important developments in laser physics."
Capasso, best known for his groundbreaking work on nanostructured materials and devices and for his co-invention of the quantum cascade (QC) laser at Bell Labs, received the doctor of Physics degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Rome, Italy, in 1973 and after doing research in fiber optics at Fondazione Bordoni in Rome, joined Bell Labs in 1976. He joined Harvard's Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences in January 2003.
He has been widely honored for his interdisciplinary research in fields such as materials research, solid state physics, electronics, and photonics. His honors include membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
"I am grateful for the generosity and support of the Tomassoni-Chisesi family," says Capasso. "The award is especially meaningful because it will be presented to me by the institution where I received my doctorate".
The prize, given in memory of Felice Pietro Chisesi, a graduate in physics from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and Caterina Tomassoni, is made possible by a grant from the Tomassoni-Chisesi family. Harvard Professor of Physics Lisa Randall won the prize in 2003. The grant also supports a sister award, the Felice Pietro Chisesi and Caterina Tomassoni prize, won this year by Professor Till Kirsten of the Max Planck Institute, Heidelberg.
"This latest award to Federico Capasso highlights his role as a true renaissance scientist and engineer," says Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Dean of the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Dean of Physical Sciences at Harvard University. "I am delighted that the University of Rome recognizes the great importance of cross-disciplinary work like Capasso's - a blend of fundamental physics with an eye towards practical application. It is exactly what needs to be encouraged and celebrated to motivate the future Capassos of the world."
The prize, which consists of €13,000 ($15,000), an allowance to travel to the award ceremony, and a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient, will be presented on April 7, 2004 at the University of Rome "La Sapienza".
About Harvard Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Harvard Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences is dedicated to the pursuit of interdisciplinary education and research in science and technology. To learn more visit www.deas.harvard.edu.
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