Celebrated Cambridge-based scientist Stephen Hawking will be honoured with the US' highest civilian award — Presidential Award of Freedom — by president Barrack Obama at a ceremony in the White House.
Hawking, who is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, is one of 16 honourees this year for the prestigious recognition.The recipients are from varied fields ranging from politics to sports and medicine and were chosen for their work as agents for change.
Other recipients for this year's award include Muhammad Yunus, Desmond Tutu and Billy Jean King. Yunus won the Nobel peace prize in 2006 for his role in poverty alleviation thorough micro-finance schemes in Bangladesh.
Former Archbishop Tutu was a leading anti-apartheid activist in South Africa, and King was a famous tennis player and has since been campaigning for gender equality in sports and other areas of public life.
In addition to scientific research, Hawking has written three popular science books, including the bestseller 'A Brief History of Time'. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom in recognition of these popular science publications and for making his research accessible to all members of the public.
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The award will be presented at a function to be held at the White House later tonight. On learning of his selection for the award, Professor Hawking commented: "I am delighted and honoured to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is a great privilege to be awarded the Medal, especially by President Obama, whom I admire deeply. I am very much looking forward to travelling to Washington to meet this remarkable man and to receive the Medal of Freedom on behalf of myself, my family, my friends and my colleagues in science worldwide."
Lauding this year's recipients, President Obama said: "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."
"Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we all should strive. It is my great honour to award them the Medal of Freedom," Obama said.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the US and aims to recognise individuals who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavours.