The National Science Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2011 National Medal of Science. The deadline for complete nominations is March 31, 2011.

Please review the nomination information and submit your nominations through FastLane. We are especially interested in identifying women, members of minority groups, and persons with disabilities for consideration.

View the "call for nominations" flyer (PDF format).

The National Medal of Science was established by the 86th Congress in 1959 as a Presidential Award to be given to individuals "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences." In 1980 Congress expanded this recognition to include the social and behavioral sciences.

A Committee of 12 scientists and engineers is appointed by the President to evaluate the nominees for the Award. Since its establishment, the National Medal of Science has been awarded to 468 distinguished scientists and engineers whose careers spanned decades of research and development. The recipients database from 1962 to the present can be searched at http://www.nsf.gov/od/nms/recipients.cfm.