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Harvard Scientist Federico Capasso Wins 2005 King Faisal International Prize
Cambridge, Mass. - February 4, 2005 - Harvard University's Federico Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering, has won the 2005 King Faisal International Prize in Science (Physics). He shares the prize with recent Nobel Prize winner Frank Wilczek (MIT) and Anton Zeilinger (University of Vienna).
The prize acknowledges "dedicated men and women whose contributions make a positive difference: those who exceptionally serve Islam and Muslims, and the scientists and scholars whose research results in significant advances in specific areas that benefit humanity."
The award committee described Capasso as "one of the most creative and influential physicists in the world" and recognized his groundbreaking work on nanostructured materials and devices and his co-invention of the quantum cascade (QC) laser at Bell Labs, calling it "perhaps the most important development in laser physics during the last decade."
Capasso 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.
The annual prize, awarded in five categories (service to Islam; Islamic studies; Arabic languages and literature; medicine; and science) is named in honor of and was made possible by the late King Faisal. In 1976, after his death, his heirs continued his philanthropic objectives through the establishment of King Faisal Foundation.
As testimony to the high caliber of prize recipients and to the importance of the research carried out by KFIP laureates, nine winners have gone on to win Nobel prizes. Four of the six Physics and Chemistry Nobel Laureates for 2001 were former KFIP winners.
The prize consists of a certificate, hand written in Diwani calligraphy, summarizing the laureate's work; a commemorative 24 carat, 200 gram gold medal, uniquely cast for each Prize; and a cash endowment of SR750,000 (US$200,000). Co-winners in any category share the monetary grant. The Prizes will be awarded during a ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on April 10, 2005 under the auspices of the King of Saudi Arabia. Past Harvard recipients include Professor Edward O. Wilson (2000).
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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