The Royal Society

The following medals were awarded for 1997:

Copley Medal: Hugh Huxley, professor of biology at the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center at Brandeis University, USA. In recognition of his pioneering work on the structure of muscle and on the molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction, providing solutions to one of the great problems.

Davy Medal: Jean-Marie Lehn, professor, Louis Pasteur University, France. In recognition of his work on supramolecular chemistry, on self-assembling molecules and chemical devices.

Hughes Medal: Andrew Lang, senior research fellow and emeritus professor of physics, University of Bristol. In recognition of his fundamental work on X-ray diffraction physics and for his developments of the techniques of X-ray topography, in particular studying defects in crystal structures.

Sylvester Medal: Harold Coxeter, emeritus professor of mathematics, University of Toronto. In recognition of his achievements in geometry, notably projective geometry, non-euclidean geometry and the analysis of spatial shapes and patterns; and for his substantial contribution to practical group-theory.

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Gabor Medal: Kenneth Holmes, professor and director of the department of biophysics in the Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany. In recognition of his achievements in molecular biology, in particular his pioneering analyses of biological structures and viruses and his development of the use of synchrotron radiation for X-ray diffraction experiments, now a widely used technique.

The Royal Society Esso Energy Award for 1997 has been presented to four Magnox Electric scientists: Stuart Barnes, Guy Hamilton Williams, Anthony Wickham and Christopher Bolton, for extending the life of Magnox reactors and the resulting conservation of energy resources.

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1997 Mullard Award: Patrick Humphrey (now at Glaxo Institute of Applied Technology in the University of Cambridge), Mike Tyers and Alec Oxford, Glaxo Research and Development Ltd. for their development of nausea-relief drugs for cancer patients and migraine drugs.

1997 Royal Society Armourers and Brasiers' Company Award: Harshad Bhadeshia, department of materials science and metallurgy in Cambridge University. In recognition of his work in the field of solid state phase transformations in steels, in particular for research into the bainite transformation and his invention of carbide-free bainitic steel with enhanced wear and fracture resistance.

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