Christopher Columbus Foundation Award
From 1996 to 2001, the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation honored one scientific researcher each year for his/her innovation with a $100,000 award.
Here is a partial list of past recipients.

Richard A. Craig, Ph.D. Staff Scientist Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland, WA Timed Neutron Detection (TND) of Land Mines Dr. Richard A. Craig was the recipient of the 2001 $100,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Award. Dr. Craig and his team have developed the Timed Neutron Detection (TND) of Land Mines. The detector looks like a metal […]

Anthony Atala, M.D. Associate Professor of Surgery Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston, MA Lab-Grown Human Organs Dr. Anthony Atala was the recipient of the 2000 $100,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Award. Dr. Atala’s research will potentially offer everyone in need of an organ transplant to receive it, as he is creating new organs in […]

James D. Otvos, Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer and Founder LipoMed, Inc. Raleigh, NC NMR LipoProfile Dr. James D. Otvos was the recipient of the 1999 $100,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Award for the development of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) LipoProfile. This innovation in blood cholesterol tests distinguishes between high-risk and low-risk forms of cholesterol. Almost […]

Marek Elbaum, M.D. President Electro-Optical Sciences, Inc. Irvington, NY MelaFind™ Dr. Marek Elbaum was the recipient of the 1998 $100,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Award for the development of an imaging system, MelaFind™ for the early detection of melanoma. Melanoma is the deadliest of skin cancers and its frequency is rapidly increasing worldwide. In the United […]

Jonathan Woodward, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN Converting Sugar to Hydrogen Dr. Jonathan Woodward was the recipient of the 1997 $100,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Award for the development of an enzymatic method for the production of hydrogen from abundant renewable sugar. Glucose–a sugar molecule–can be found in cellulose, starch […]