Each year, CRDF Global presents the George Brown Award for International Scientific Cooperation to an individual for his or her critical work advancing critical issues through cross-border collaboration, in the spirit of the late Congressman's vision. In 2012, CRDF Global is pleased to recognize three individuals for their scientific and humanitarian achievements.
2012 George Brown Award Honoree: Mr. William H. Draper, III
With over forty years of experience, William H. Draper, III is one of America's first venture capitalists. He is Managing Director of Draper Richards L.P., a venture capital fund that focuses on early-stage technology companies in the U.S., and Draper International, a venture capital fund that invests in private companies with operations in the U.S. and India. He also serves as Co-Chairman of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a venture philanthropy firm that funds and supports social entrepreneurs. Mr. Draper is also author of the book, The Startup Game: Inside the Partnership between Venture Capitalists and Entrepreneurs.
Mr. Draper has played an international leadership role in expanding the world economy. In 1986, he became the head of the world's largest source of multilateral development grant assistance, the United Nations Development Program. He also served from 1981 to 1986 as President and Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States and was appointed to that position by President Reagan. In that post Mr. Draper assumed a leadership role in U.S. efforts to sustain world trade in the face of major liquidity problems among the developing countries.
Before joining Ex-Im Bank, Mr. Draper was founder of Sutter Hill Ventures in Palo Alto, California. During his twenty years as the senior partner of Sutter Hill, a leading venture capital firm in the U.S., Mr. Draper helped to organize and finance several hundred high technology manufacturing companies.
As a civic leader, Mr. Draper has been involved in many community service programs. He is currently on the boards of the Harvard Business School California Research Center, Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies at Stanford University, World Affairs Council of Northern California, and the United Nations Association-USA. Mr. Draper formerly served as the Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, Chairman of the Institute of International Education, as a Trustee of Yale University and as Chairman of the Board of the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco; he was a former Board member of the Atlantic Council, Hoover Institution, Population Action International, George Bush Library Foundation, the Advisory Council of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the World Rehabilitation Fund in New York. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the President’s Council on International Activities at Yale University.
In 1982 he was honored as the Harvard Business School Alumnus of the Year, and in 1992 he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 1996 he received the Citizen Diplomacy Award from the International Diplomacy Council and the Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard Business School. In 2002 he received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In 2005 Mr. Draper received the Vision Award from SD Forum and was inducted into the Dow Jones Venture Capital Hall of Fame. In 2006 he received the Silicon Valley Fast 50 Lifetime Achievement Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the Institute of International Education. In 2009 Mr. Draper received the Global Citizen of the Year Award from International House Berkeley, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Commonwealth Club of California, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Business Forum, and the Philanthropic Leadership Award from the American India Foundation. In addition, he has received honorary decorations from Bolivia, Morocco, and Samoa.
Mr. Draper received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1950, and a Master of Business degree, with distinction, from the Harvard Graduate School of Business in 1954. He received an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, from Southeastern University in 1985, and an honorary M.A. from Yale University in 1991.
2012 George Brown Award Honoree: Dr. David A. Hamburg
David A. Hamburg is Visiting Scholar at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and DeWitt Wallace Distinguished Scholar at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is President Emeritus at Carnegie Corporation of New York, where he served as president from 1982 to 1997. Hamburg has a long history of leadership in the research and innovation in biological and behavioral sciences. He has been a pioneer in prevention of mass violence. He has been a professor at Stanford University and Harvard University, President of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He was a member of the United States Defense Policy Board with Secretary of Defense William Perry and co-chair with former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. The Commission published many books and monographs in its five-year life (1994-99), covering diplomatic, political, economic and military aspects of prevention. Distinguished scholars and practitioners contributed on a worldwide basis with Dr. Hamburg providing guidance, integration and utilization.
He was a member of President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. Most recently, Dr. Hamburg chaired two parallel committees at the United Nations and European Union on the prevention of genocide – one reporting directly to the UN Secretary-General and the other to Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union.
Dr. Hamburg also has served on the Board of the Stanford University, Rockefeller University, the American Museum of Natural History, the Mount Sinai Medical Center of New York, the Carter Center in Atlanta, the Advisory Board of the Center for Preventive Action of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Advisory Council of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies, the Harvard International Advisory Council and was Distinguished Presidential Adviser on International Affairs, National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of Today’s Children: Creating a Future for a Generation in Crisis (1992); No More Killing Fields: Preventing Deadly Conflict (2002); and Learning to Live Together: Preventing Hatred and Violence in Child and Adolescent Development (2004). His most recent book, Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps toward Early Detection and Effective Action was published in spring 2008. An educational documentary based on the book was completed in the spring of 2009 and an updated edition of the book was published in the fall.
Dr. Hamburg has received numerous awards including the Foreign Policy Association’s Medal; the Sarnat International Mental Health Award of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences; the John Stearns Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Medicine, New York Academy of Medicine; Leadership in Violence Prevention, United States Institute of Peace; the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal (its highest award); and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award of the United States).
2012 George Brown Award Honoree: Dr. Charles M. Vest
Charles M. Vest is President of the National Academy of Engineering and President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Vest earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University in 1963, and M.S.E. and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1964 and 1967 respectively. He joined the faculty of the University of Michigan as an assistant professor in 1968 where he taught in the areas of heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanic, and conducted research in heat transfer and engineering applications of laser optics and holography. He and his graduate students developed techniques for making quantitative measurements of various properties and motions from holographic interferograms, especially the measurement of three-dimensional temperature and density fields using computer tomography. He became an associate professor in 1972 and a full professor in 1977.
In 1981 Dr. Vest turned much of his attention to academic administration at the University of Michigan, serving as associate dean of engineering from 1981-86, dean of engineering from 1986-1989, when he became provost and vice president for academic affairs. In 1990 he became president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and served in that position until December 2004. He then became professor and president emeritus.
As president of MIT, he was active in science, technology, and innovation policy; building partnerships among academia, government and industry; and championing the importance of open, global scientific communication, travel, and sharing of intellectual resources. During his tenure, MIT launched its OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative; co-founded the Alliance for Global Sustainability; enhanced the racial, gender, and cultural diversity of its students and faculty; established major new institutes in neuroscience and genomic medicine; and redeveloped much of its campus.
He was a director of DuPont for 14 years and of IBM for 13 years; was vice chair of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness for eight years; and served on various federal committees and commissions, including the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) during the Clinton and Bush administrations, the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy and the Rice-Chertoff Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee. He serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations and foundations devoted to education, science, and technology.
In July 2007 he was elected to serve as president of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for six years. He has authored a book on holographic interferometry, and two books on higher education. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from seventeen universities. He was awarded the 2006 National Medal of Technology by President Bush and received the 2011 Vannevar Bush Award.