Scientists focusing on climate issues claim 3 Balzan prizes
by Science X staff
Three scientists focusing on climate issues were among the winners of this year's Balzan Prize, which recognizes scholarly and scientific achievements, organizers said Monday.
Susan Trumbore was recognized for her ''outstanding contributions'' to the study of the carbon cycle and its effects on climate, as well as for pioneering the use of radiocarbon measurements. Trumbore, a U.S. citizen, is the director of the Max Planck Institut for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany, and a professor of Earth Science System at the University of California, Irvine.
Jean-Marie Tarascon, professor of the College de France, was recognized for his research in the field of electrochemical energy storage, and in particular for helping speed the development of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars.
Joan Martinez Alier, a professor emeritus and senior researcher at Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, was cited for his ''path-breaking analysis of the relationships between economies and the environment.''
The Balzan Foundation awards two prizes in the sciences and two in the humanities each year, rotating specialties to highlight new or emerging areas of research and to sustain fields that might be overlooked elsewhere. Recipients receive 750,000 Swiss francs, half of which must be used for research.
The fourth prize, for Human Rights, was awarded to Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade, a Brazilian judge who serves on the International Court of Justice in The Hague. He was recognized for his contributions to defining and creating a global judicial order that may also apply to nation-states.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella will award the prizes during a ceremony Nov. 19 in Rome.
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