Friday, March 27, 2009

Presentation Ceremony of the Prime Minister's Certificate of Appreciation for a Nobel Prize Laureate

Prime Minister Taro Aso held the presentation ceremony of the Prime Minister's certificate of appreciation at the Prime Minister's Office for Dr. Osamu Shimomura, Professor Emeritus of Boston University in the United States, who received the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry last December.

The certificate commemorates Dr. Shimomura's outstanding achievement in the research of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the field of marine biology, which has contributed greatly to the development of academy, culture, and science and technology.

Prime Minister Aso praised Dr. Shimomura's winning of the Nobel Prize, saying, "The news brightens us up so much at a time when there were many pessimistic events, giving the Japanese people a sense of confidence and pride. I was really glad and had a great feeling of joy."