It ’s an argument you ’ve belike heard many time before . Why do actors get immense salaries and glitzy award shows – complete with all their gasbag play – when the “ real heroes ” like scientists go unnoticed behind the scene ?
Well , that ’s where the Breakthrough Prize comes in . Founded by Facebook ’s Mark Zuckerberg and physicist - turned - venture capitalist Yuri Milner in 2012 , this annual contention seeks to award scientists with multi - million dollar prizes for groundbreaking enquiry and discoveries . And the nominations for this year ’s awards have just opened .
nomination can besubmitted onlinefrom now until May 31 , with anyone allow to put up anyone else for one of the trophy ( note , you could not nominate yourself ) . The awards , which last twelvemonth saw renown like will.i.am . and Vin Diesel attend , will take piazza at a televised ceremony in Silicon Valley in December 2017 .
There will be seven prize with an prize of $ 3 million each . Five of these are in Life Sciences , awarded to hoi polloi who have made “ transformative progress in understand life scheme and extending human life , ” concord to astatement .
The other two will be awarded in Fundamental Physics and Mathematics . The former tell apart one or more individual who have made “ profound contributions to human noesis ” , and is open to all physicists . The latter is award to someone who has made “ outstanding contribution to the airfield of mathematics . ”
In addition to these , there will be six New Horizons prizes , each award $ 100,000 to promising early - career investigator in Fundamental Physics and Mathematics .
Last year , winner included the squad behind the LIGO experiment that discovered gravitational waves and three scientist who advance quantum field theory ( Joseph Polchinski , Andrew Strominger , and Cumrun Vafa ) , while Jean Bourgain scooped the Mathematics swag for work in number theory and other areas .
So , if you get it on someone who might be specially deserving of one of the prize , why not go and nominate them . HopefullyLa La Landwon’t accidentally scoop one of these prizes too .
Image in text : The Breakthrough Prize trophy , courtesy of Breakthrough Prize
