ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KSDK) - A researcher at the University of Missouri has been selected as one of 22 recipients of the nation's highest honor for scientists.
M. Frederick Hawthorne, director of the International Institute of Nano and Molecular Medicine at MU, was named a recipient of the National Medal of Science for his work with the chemical element boron. Hawthorne developed a technique known as Boron Neuron Capture Technology, which is used in experimental treatments for cancer, arthritis and other disease.
Hawthorne's work with boron is also used in treating heart disease and Alzheimer's.
M. Frederick Hawthorne came to the University of Missouri in 2006 because of the resources the university provided him to carry out his research.
The National Medal of Science was created in 1959 as a way of recognizing outstanding achievements in the fields of science and engineering.
M. Frederick Hawthorne will receive his National Medal of Science with the other recipients at a White House ceremony in early 2013.