§1881. Award of National Medal of Science

(a) Recommendations

The President shall from time to time award the medal, on the basis of recommendations received from the National Academy of Sciences or on the basis of such other information and evidence as he deems appropriate, to individuals who in his judgment are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, behavioral or social sciences.

(b) Number

Not more than twenty individuals may be awarded the medal in any one calendar year.

(c) Citizenship

An individual may not be awarded the medal unless at the time such award is made he-

(1) is a citizen or other national of the United States; or

(2) is an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who (A) has filed an application for petition for naturalization in the manner prescribed by section 1445(b) of title 8 and (B) is not permanently ineligible to become a citizen of the United States.

(d) Ceremonies

The presentation of the award shall be made by the President with such ceremonies as he may deem proper, including attendance by appropriate Members of Congress.

( Pub. L. 86–209, §2, Aug. 25, 1959, 73 Stat. 431 ; Pub. L. 96–516, §22(a)(1), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3010 .)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section was not enacted as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.

Amendments

1980-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–516 inserted applicability to behavioral and social sciences.

Executive Documents

Ex. Ord. No. 11287. Award and Presentation of National Medal of Science

Ex. Ord. No. 11287, eff. June 28, 1966, 31 F.R. 8995, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 11502, eff. Dec. 22, 1969, 34 F.R. 20171; Ex. Ord. No. 11734, July 30, 1973, 38 F.R. 20433; Ex. Ord. No. 14048, §4, Sept. 30, 2021, 86 F.R. 55466, provided:

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Act of August 25, 1959, entitled "An Act To Establish a National Medal of Science To Provide Recognition for Individuals Who Make Outstanding Contributions in the Physical, Biological, Mathematical, and Engineering Sciences," 73 Stat. 431 (hereinafter referred to as the Act) [42 U.S.C. 1880, 1881], and as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows:

Section 1. Award of Medal. (a) The President shall award the National Medal of Science (hereinafter referred to as the Medal) established by the Act, the specifications of which are prescribed by Executive Order No. 10910 of January 17, 1961, as amended, on the basis of recommendations received by him in accordance with the provisions of this Order to individuals who in his judgment are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences.

(b) The following-described criteria shall govern the award of the Medal-

(1) Not more than twenty individuals shall be awarded the Medal in any one calendar year.

(2) No individual shall be awarded the Medal unless, at the time such award is made, he:

(A) is a citizen or other national of the United States; or

(B) is an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who (i) has filed a petition for naturalization in the manner prescribed by Section 334(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act [8 U.S.C. 1445(b)], and (ii) is not permanently ineligible to become a citizen of the United States.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Medal may be awarded posthumously, but only to individuals who, at the time of their death, met the conditions set forth in paragraph (2). The Medal shall not be awarded to any individual after the fifth anniversary of the day of his death.

(c) Each Medal awarded shall be suitably inscribed. Each individual awarded the Medal shall also receive a citation descriptive of the award.

(d) The presentation of the Medal shall be made in accordance with Section 2(d) of the Act.

Sec. 2. The President's Committee. (a) There is hereby established the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science (hereinafter referred to as the Committee), which shall be composed of fourteen appointive members and two ex officio members and shall assist the President, as provided in this order, in connection with the carrying out of the Act.

(b) Each appointive member of the Committee shall be appointed by the President from among appropriately qualified citizens of the United States. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (e) of this Section, each such member shall be so appointed for a term of three years or for the balance of the unexpired term of his predecessor, whichever is appropriate. Members may be reappointed to serve one additional term of three years. As nearly as practicable, the appointive members of the Committee shall comprise a cross section of the major fields of science and engineering.

(c) The following shall be ex officio members of the Committee:

(1) The Science Adviser.

(2) The President of the National Academy of Sciences.

(d) The President shall from time to time designate one of the members of the Committee as Chairman thereof.

(e) Of the persons first designated as members of the Committee under the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section, four shall be designated to serve until December 31, 1966, four shall be designated to serve until December 31, 1967, and four shall be designated to serve until December 31, 1968.

Sec. 3. Preliminary Procedure. (a) The Committee shall receive, on behalf of the President, (1) the recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences respecting the award of the Medal pursuant to the provisions of Section 2(a) of the Act [subsec. (a) of this section], and (2) such similar recommendations as may be made by any other nationally representative scientific or engineering organization or other qualified source. Each such recommendation shall include or be accompanied by such appropriate supporting material as the Committee may from time to time specify.

(b) On the basis of such criteria, information, and evidence as it may deem appropriate, and subject to the provisions of Section 1 of this Order, the Committee shall designate, from among the individuals who are recommended in accordance with Section 3(a) of this Order, those individuals whom the Committee recommends for the award of the Medal and shall transmit the names of those individuals to the President, together with its recommendations. In so transmitting its recommendations, the Committee (1) shall include expressions of its views concerning, and such other information as may be pertinent to, its recommendations, and (2) may arrange the names of all or some of the recommended individuals in a sequence deemed by it to indicate the order of precedence in which the individuals involved deserve to receive the Medal.

(c) Each recommendation respecting the award of the Medal to an individual which is transmitted to the President by the Committee shall be accompanied by a draft of a citation describing the contributions which are being recognized by the award.

Sec. 4. Time of Awards and Recommendations. (a) Unless otherwise directed by the President, announcement of the award of the Medal shall be made during the last sixty days of each calendar year and ceremonies for presentation of the Medal shall be held during the first ninety days of the calendar year following the announcement of the award.

(b) Recommendations for awards of the Medals shall be submitted to the Committee, pursuant to Section 3(a) of this Order, by the first day of July of the year in which it is proposed that they be announced by the President. Recommendations of the Committee shall be delivered to the President by the fifteenth day of October of the year in which it is proposed that they be announced. Awards of the Medal may be based upon recommendations of the Committee or upon such other information and evidence as the President deems appropriate.

Sec. 5. Services and Expenses. (a) The National Science Foundation is authorized to provide such assistance as may be necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Order.

(b) The members of the Committee shall serve without compensation, but the National Science Foundation is authorized to reimburse them for travel expenses and to pay them per diem in lieu of subsistence as authorized for persons serving without compensation (5 U.S.C. 73b–2) [see 5 U.S.C. 703].

Sec. 6. Prior Orders. (a) Subject to the provisions of this Order, the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science established by Section 2 of this Order shall be deemed to constitute a continuation of the Committee of the same name established by Executive Order No. 10961 of August 21, 1961. The latter Order is hereby revoked.

(b) Executive Order No. 10910 of January 17, 1961, is hereby amended by deleting from its title the words "AND AWARD", and by deleting the last two sentences of Section 1, and all of Section 2, thereof.

Extension of Term of President's Committee on the National Medal of Science

Term of President's Committee on the National Medal of Science extended until Sept. 30, 2025, by Ex. Ord. No. 14109, Sept. 29, 2023, 88 F.R. 68447, set out as a note under section 1013 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Previous extensions of term of President's Committee on the National Medal of Science were contained in the following prior Executive Orders:

Ex. Ord. No. 14048, Sept. 30, 2021, 86 F.R. 55465, extended term until Sept. 30, 2023.

Ex. Ord. No. 13889, Sept. 27, 2019, 84 F.R. 52743, extended term until Sept. 30, 2021.

Ex. Ord. No. 13811, Sept. 29, 2017, 82 F.R. 46363, extended term until Sept. 30, 2019.

Ex. Ord. No. 13708, Sept. 30, 2015, 80 F.R. 60271, extended term until Sept. 30, 2017.

Ex. Ord. No. 13652, Sept. 30, 2013, 78 F.R. 61817, extended term until Sept. 30, 2015.

Ex. Ord. No. 13585, Sept. 30, 2011, 76 F.R. 62281, extended term until Sept. 30, 2013.

Ex. Ord. No. 13511, Sept. 29, 2009, 74 F.R. 50909, extended term until Sept. 30, 2011.

Ex. Ord. No. 13446, Sept. 28, 2007, 72 F.R. 56175, extended term until Sept. 30, 2009.

Ex. Ord. No. 13385, §1(j), Sept. 29, 2005, 70 F.R. 57989, extended term until Sept. 30, 2007.

Ex. Ord. No. 13316, Sept. 17, 2003, 68 F.R. 55255, extended term until Sept. 30, 2005.

Ex. Ord. No. 13225, Sept. 28, 2001, 66 F.R. 50291, extended term until Sept. 30, 2003.

Ex. Ord. No. 13138, Sept. 30, 1999, 64 F.R. 53879, extended term until Sept. 30, 2001.

Ex. Ord. No. 13062, §1(j), Sept. 29, 1997, 62 F.R. 51755, extended term until Sept. 30, 1999.

Ex. Ord. No. 12974, Sept. 29, 1995, 60 F.R. 51875, extended term until Sept. 30, 1997.

Ex. Ord. No. 12869, Sept. 30, 1993, 58 F.R. 51751, extended term until Sept. 30, 1995.

Ex. Ord. No. 12774, Sept. 27, 1991, 56 F.R. 49835, extended term until Sept. 30, 1993.

Ex. Ord. No. 12692, Sept. 29, 1989, 54 F.R. 40627, extended term until Sept. 30, 1991.

Ex. Ord. No. 12610, Sept. 30, 1987, 52 F.R. 36901, extended term until Sept. 30, 1989.

Ex. Ord. No. 12534, Sept. 30, 1985, 50 F.R. 40319, extended term until Sept. 30, 1987.

Ex. Ord. No. 12489, Sept. 28, 1984, 49 F.R. 38927, extended term until Sept. 30, 1985.

Ex. Ord. No. 12399, Dec. 31, 1982, 48 F.R. 379, extended term until Sept. 30, 1984.

Ex. Ord. No. 12258, Dec. 31, 1980, 46 F.R. 1251, extended term until Dec. 31, 1982.

Ex. Ord. No. 12110, Dec. 28, 1978, 44 F.R. 1069, extended term until Dec. 31, 1980.

Ex. Ord. No. 11948, Dec. 20, 1976, 41 F.R. 55705, extended term until Dec. 31, 1978.