July 08, 2024
Media Contact:
Jason Papagan
Manager of Communications
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
jpapagan@sigmaxi.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is pleased to announce that Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Gold Key Award. As the Society's highest honor, the Gold Key Award is presented to a Sigma Xi member who has made extraordinary contributions to their profession and has fostered critical innovations to enhance the health of the research enterprise, to cultivate integrity in research, or to promote the public understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition. Dr. Laurencin will be presented the Gold Key Award on November 16, 2024, in Washington, DC, where he will serve as a keynote speaker at Sigma Xi’s annual conference, the International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE).
Dr. Laurencin is the University Professor at the University of Connecticut (one of only two at the school). He is Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at UConn. He is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut, and Institute created in his honor.
Dr. Laurencin earned a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He earned his M.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the Harvard Medical School, and received the Robinson Award for Surgery. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was named a Hugh Hampton Young Fellow.
Dr. Laurencin is the pioneer of the field of Regenerative Engineering. He is an expert in biomaterials science, stem cell technology and nanotechnology and has worked in the Convergence of these areas of research. In receiving the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, he was named as the world’s foremost engineer-physician-scientist.
“Dr. Laurencin embodies excellence through his research and his leadership,” said Jamie Vernon, Sigma Xi executive director and CEO. “We are thrilled to recognize Dr. Laurencin with Sigma Xi’s highest honor for his pioneering work in regenerative engineering of musculoskeletal tissues and for his critical efforts to promote diversity in science and engineering.”
Dr. Laurencin received the Founder’s Award (highest award) from the Society for Biomaterials, the James Bailey Award (highest award) from the Society for Biological Engineering, the BMES Robert A. Pritzker Award (highest award) from the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the Pierre Galletti Award (highest award) from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He received the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, NIH’s highest and most prestigious research award, for his new field of Regenerative Engineering and the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Grant Award. Dr. Laurencin is the Editor-in-Chief of Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine, published by Springer Nature, and is the Founder of the Regenerative Engineering Society. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, a Fellow of the Materials Research Society, and a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society. He is an International Fellow in Biomaterials Science and Engineering, and a Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering.
Dr. Laurencin is the recipient of the Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society’s highest honor, and the recipient of the Von Hippel Award, the Materials Research Society’s highest honor. He is the recipient of the Founders Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Percy Julian Medal from the National Association of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, their highest awards. The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded Dr. Laurencin the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given ‘for signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States.’ In recognition of his breakthrough achievements in Regenerative Engineering worldwide, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers created the Cato T. Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Founder’s Award.
Dr. Laurencin is active in mentoring and in social justice. He received the Presidential Award for Excellence is Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama, the Beckman Award for Mentoring, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mentor Award. He has received the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon’s Diversity Award, the Biomedical Engineering Society’s Diversity Award, and the Society for Biomaterials Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award. Dr. Laurencin is the recipient of the 2020 Herbert W. Nickens Award of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) recognizing his efforts in promoting social justice, equity, and fairness. He has described the IDEAL Path for achieving diversity—IDEAL representing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Learning, recently adopted by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He is the recipient of the Hoover Medal, American engineering’s principal honor for humanitarian work. The Society for Biomaterials (SFB) created the Cato T. Laurencin Travelling Fellow Award for underrepresented students to attend SFB meetings in his honor.
Dr. Laurencin is an inventor. He was named the 2023 Inventor of the Year by the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation. He received the 2024 Kathryn S. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success from the American Chemical Society. He is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America’s highest honor for technical achievement, awarded by President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House.
As the Gold Key Award recipient, Dr. Laurencin will deliver a keynote address at Sigma Xi’s IFoRE conference on November 16. His presentation, “Regenerative Engineering: New Frontiers in Regeneration,” will follow the presentation of the award. Interested attendees can learn more and register for the event by visiting experienceIFoRE.org.
The symbolism of the Gold Key Award pays homage to the early days of Sigma Xi (late 1800s to early 1900s), when induction into the Society was often accompanied by the presentation of a small gold key. The key was routinely attached as a charm to a bracelet or chain that held a pocket watch, which was the style of the day, and represented pride in the science or engineering accomplishments of the holder. Previous recipients of the award include Shirley M. Tilghman, Bruce Alberts, Shirley M. Malcom, Walter E. Massey, Gordon E. Moore, and Norman R. Augustine.