Caltech Bio-Engineer to Receive Award from President Friday

Frances Arnold, a Caltech bio-engineer, will receive a National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama during an awards ceremony Friday morning in Washington D.C.

Arnold will be getting the award for her achievements in synthetic biology, as one of the 11 inventors who are the recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

The implications of the field of study Arnold is credited for conceiving – “directed evolution” – includes creating food to prevent starving, learning more about the brain and creating sustainable bio-fuels.

Specifically, “directed evolution” is a technique in which biological materials are isolated for their specific traits and manipulated to serve a variety of uses, according to Caltech.

“I would like my children to grow up in a world that is even better than the one that I grew up in,” said Arnold in a Caltech news statement. “For that to happen, we have to stop wasting precious resources and learn to live in a sustainable fashion. Biology can and should be one of the solutions.”

Caltech said Arnold’s “directed evolution” is already being used in labs around the world for making agriculture and manufacturing more sustainable.

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was established by Congress in 1980, and complements the older National Medal of Science. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office administers the medal on behalf of the White House.

Arnold’s award brings to 13 the number of Caltech faculty members, alumni, and trustees who have received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.