Rutherford Medal (Royal Society of New Zealand) explained

The Rutherford Medal (instituted in 1991 and known as the New Zealand Science and Technology Gold Medal until 2000) is the most prestigious award offered by the Royal Society of New Zealand, consisting of a medal and prize of $100,000. It is awarded at the request of the New Zealand Government to recognize exceptional contributions to the advancement and promotion of public awareness, knowledge and understanding in addition to eminent research or technological practice by a person or group in any field of science, mathematics, social science, or technology. It is funded by the New Zealand government and awarded annually.

The medal is named after Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate, who pioneered the orbital theory of the atom.

Recipients

Source: Royal Society of New Zealand

New Zealand Science and Technology Gold Medal

• 1991: Vaughan Jones, mathematician, Fields medalist
• 1992: Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Group Award
• 1993: Roy Kerr, mathematician
• 1994: Ian Axford, physicist
• 1995: Bill Denny, oncologist, and Auckland Cancer Research Laboratory
• 1996: No award
• 1997: Thomas William Walker, soil scientist
• 1998: Bill Robinson, seismologist
• 1999: David Vere-Jones, statistician

Rutherford Medal

• 2000: Alan MacDiarmid, chemist, Nobel Prize winner
• 2001: Peter Gluckman, biologist
• 2002: Jeff Tallon, physicist
• 2003: George Petersen, biochemist
• 2004: David Penny, theoretical biologist
• 2005: Paul Callaghan, physicist
• 2006: Ted Baker, structural biologist
• 2007: Richard Faull, neuroscientist^[1]
• 2008: David Parry, structural biophysicist^[2]
• 2009: Peter Hunter, computational bioengineer
• 2010: Warren Tate, biochemist^{[3] [4]}
• 2011: Christine Winterbourn, biochemist^[5]
• 2012: Margaret Brimble, chemist
• 2013: Anne Salmond, social scientist
• 2014: Peter Schwerdtfeger, theoretical chemist and physicist^[6]
• 2015: Ian Reid, osteologist^[7]
• 2016: Michael Corballis, psychologist
• 2017: Colin Wilson, volcanologist
• 2018: Rod Downey, mathematician
• 2019: Jane Harding, neonatologist^{[8] [9]}
• 2020: Brian Boyd, professor of literature^[10]
• 2021: Philippa Howden-Chapman, healthy housing researcher and her team^[11]
• 2022: The Dunedin Study, led by Richie Poulton, with team members Murray Thomson, Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi.^[12]
• 2023: Linda Tuhiwai Smith^[13]

See also

• Marsden Medal
  • List of general science and technology awards List of awards named after people

External links

• Rutherford Medal, Royal Society of New Zealand
• Medals, Rutherford.org.nz by John Campbell

Notes and References

1. Web site: Richard Faull: Neuroscientist. The New Zealand Herald. 15 December 2007. Phil. Taylor.
2. Web site: Professor David Parry Awarded Rutherford Medal | Scoop News . Scoop.co.nz . 2008-11-13 . 2012-11-24.
3. Web site: Professor Warren Tate » Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago . Biochem.otago.ac.nz . 2012-11-24.
4. Web site: 11 November 2010 Media Release, University of Otago, New Zealand . Otago.ac.nz . 2010-11-11 . 2012-11-24.
5. Web site: Medals awarded to top New Zealand researchers . royalsociety.org.nz . 2011 . The country’s highest science and technology honour, the Rutherford Medal, was awarded to biochemist Professor Christine Winterbourn FRSNZ from the University of Otago, Christchurch, for her outstanding achievements and discoveries in free radical biology which have established her as a leading world authority in this field. Together with the medal awarded by the Royal Society of New Zealand, she also received $100,000 from the Government. . 25 November 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111128043243/http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2011/11/17/medals-awarded-to-top-new-zealand-researchers/ . 28 November 2011 .
6. Web site: Royal Society of New Zealand recognises achievements of researchers . 26 November 2014 . Royal Society of New Zealand . 27 November 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141220080825/http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2014/11/26/royal-society-of-new-zealand-recognises-achievements-of-researchers/ . 20 December 2014 .
7. Spotlight on top New Zealand researchers . . 11 November 2015 . 10 November 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151124014100/http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2015/11/10/spotlight-on-top-new-zealand-researchers/ . 24 November 2015 .
8. Web site: 2019 Rutherford Medal: Better lifelong outcomes for mothers and babies . 17 October 2019 . Royal Society Te Apārangi . 18 October 2019.
9. Web site: Top award for making a difference in babies' lives. . 15 October 2019.
10. Web site: Brian Boyd wins Rutherford Medal, NZ's top research honour. 2020-11-05. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
11. Web site: 2021-11-18. Influential healthy homes research recognised with top honour. 2021-11-17. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
12. Web site: The Dunedin Study wins Rutherford Medal and other Research Honours Aotearoa winners celebrated in Ōtepoti Dunedin . 2022-11-16 . Royal Society Te Apārangi.
13. Web site: Linda Tuhiwai Smith receives Rutherford Medal alongside other Research Honours Aotearoa winners . 2023-11-23 . Royal Society Te Apārangi.