4 finalists in Millennium technology prize to be awarded by Finland
Four innovations have been accepted as finalists in the euro1.15 (US$1.8) million International Millennium Technology Prize, the Technology Academy of Finland announced Tuesday.
The inventions _ involving DNA fingerprinting, biomaterials for human tissue regeneration, key elements in mobile communication, and fiber optic networks _ are represented by six scientists, the academy said.
The winner, to be announced on June 11, will be awarded euro800,000 (US$1.2 million). The three runner-up innovations will each get euro115,000 (US$180,000).
The academy chose Prof. Sir Alec Jeffreys, from the genetics department at the University Leicester in Britain, as one of the finalists for the invention of DNA fingerprinting.
“No other development in modern genetics has had such a profound impact worldwide on the lives of many millions of people,” the academy said.
Another finalist, Prof. Robert Langer from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology in the United States, was cited for “inventions and development of innovative biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration that have saved and improved the lives of millions of people.”
Andrew J. Viterbi, professor emeritus at the University of Southern California was chosen for the invention of the Viterbi algorithm, “the key building element in modern wireless and digital communications systems, touching lives of people everywhere,” the Finnish academy said.
The fourth innovation, which made possible the invention of high-capacity optical fiber networks, was attributed to three scientists: Prof. Emmanuel Desurvire from Thales Corporate Research %26amp; Technology in France; Dr. Randy Giles from Bell Laboratories in Alcatel-Lucent, New Jersey in the United States; and Prof. David N. Payne from the University of Southampton in Britain.
The academy cited the three for “outstanding contributions to telecommunications through the invention of the erbium-doped fiber amplifier.”
The biennial Millennium Technology Prize was launched by the Finnish government and industry in 2004. It is given for achievements in energy and the environment, communications and information, new materials and processes as well as health care and life sciences.
Previous winners have been Japanese Prof. Shuji Nakamura for inventions in laser technology and LED lighting, and Tim Berners-Lee, the MIT scientist credited with inventing the World Wide Web.
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On the Net: http://www.millenniumprize.fi
