Dean Kafatos receives Spirit of Rustum Roy Award

Menas Kafatos, Ph.D., dean of the Schmid College of Science, has been honored with the inaugural 2011 Spirit of Rustum Roy Award, presented by The Chopra Foundation at a gala dinner at the recent Sages and Scientists Conference in Carlsbad, Calif.  The award honors “individuals whose devotion and commitment to their passion for finding answers in their field is matched only by their commitment to humanity,” according to the official award materials.   The honor includes a $100,000 award from the foundation to further the recipient’s work and research.

In response to receiving the award, Dean Kafatos said, “I am awed by the great honor of receiving the Spirit of Rustum Roy Award. Although I never met Professor Roy, his prestigious science career as well as his humanity are beacons for us to follow. Today’s science has to be of top quality but also needs to be of service to humanity. In my own career, I have tried to adhere to both goals. I am extremely honored that I would be picked for this award, which reflects not just on me but also my family, colleagues and my university, Chapman. I would like to thank the foundation, and Prof. Della Roy for being here and representing Professor Rustum Roy’s legacy, for this great award and medal.”

The award is named in honor of Rustum Roy, Ph.D. (1924-2010), a noted physicist who held visiting professorships in materials science at Arizona State University and in medicine at the University of Arizona, as well as an emeritus position at Pennsylvania State University in three departments.  He was a member of the National Academies of Science of the U.S., Russia, Japan, Sweden and India, and described himself as a science policy analyst and advocate of interdisciplinary education and alternative medicine.