Indian-American scientist receives top honour for science and technology from Obama

US President Barack Obama has felicitated an Indian-American scientist and a Pakistani- American doctor with the nation's top honours in the field of science and technology & innovation respectively.

The National Medal of Science was presented to 65-year-old Rakesh K Jain of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital for his role in developing novel strategies for manipulating tumours and translating those strategies into improved cancer detection, prevention, and treatment in humans. Jain, an IIT Kanpur alumnus, has received numerous awards for his work on tumour biology, particularly research on the link between tumour blood vessels and improving the effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He received his B Tech degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1972.

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was received by 53-year-old Mark S Humayun for invention, development, and application of bio-electronics in medicine, including a retinal  prosthesis for restoring vision to the blind, thereby significantly improving patients' quality of life. A co-inventor of the Argus Series of retina implants which are intended to restore sight to the blind, Humayun is the only ophthalmologist ever to be elected a member of both the US National Academy of Medicine and that of Engineering.

Humayun's family migrated from Jalandhar to Pakistan after partition. His grandfather Colonel Ilahi Bakhsh was the personal physician of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Humayun's family moved to the US in 1972 when he was nine years old.

At a White House function, Obama said that Humayun's invention was inspired by the illness of his grandmother. "When his diabetic grandmother lost her vision, he began studying to become an ophthalmologist, hoping he could save the sight of others. Mark helped create the 'Argus II', a 'bionic eye' that has restored vision to patients who've been blind for up to 50 years," Obama said.

"He says the moment when he witnessed someone seeing light and shapes, someone experiencing the miracle of sight for the first time in decades - those moments have been some of the happiest and most rewarding of his professional career. In his words -- and I think no pun is intended --"There wasn't a dry eye in the operating room," Obama said.

Humayun and Jain received the award along with 15 other recipients of the National Medals of Science and the National Medals of Technology and Innovation.

The award function was initially scheduled for January 22 but was postponed due to a major snow storm.

The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation, while the National Medal for Technology and Innovation was established by the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, with laureates being announced jointly by the White House and the Department of Commerce.