Remise des
PALMES ACADEMIQUES
au
Pr. MICHAEL ROUKES
11 June 2013 - Caltech
Cher Jean-Lou Chameau,
Dear Professor Roukes,
Dear Mrs. Roukes,
Dear Family and dear friends,
I'm very pleased and honored to be here
today to present the insignia of Chevalier
dans l’Ordre des palmes académiques to
Professor Michael Roukes, and I would like
to particularly thank Professor Chameau,
President of CalTech, for hosting this
ceremony in such an impressive – and
somewhat esoteric ! - location.
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***
Professor Roukes, your academic career
and leading research work are impressive,
and you have played a key role in fostering
strong scientific collaborations between the
United States and France.
You graduated from the University of
California, Santa Cruz, with majors in both
physics and chemistry. You then went on
to earn a Ph.D. in physics at the
prestigious Cornell University in 1985,
under the supervision of Nobel Laureate,
Robert C. Richardson.
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You joined the Caltech community in 1992
as an associate professor of physics and
became a full professor in 1995. In 2011,
you were awarded the position of Robert
M. Abbey professor in Physics, Applied
Physics, and Bioengineering.
You are a distinguished scholar in the field
of quantum measurement and applied
biotechnology, and your leadership in
scientific research inspired you to establish
the
field
of
nano-electromechanical
systems.
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You
have
been
instrumental
in
the
founding of multiple research centers at
Caltech,
namely
Caltech’s
Kavli
Nanoscience Institute, of which you were
also the founding director and are currently
the co-director.
You
have
written
and
published
extensively on the topics of nanoscience
and nanotechnology, lectured at major
research centers world-wide and are active
on
many
national
and
international
committees that promote the nanoscience
field.
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You have received numerous awards and
honors, including the National Institute for
Health Director’s Pioneer Award in which
you were recognized for your innovative
and high-impact biomedical research at the
Kavli Nanoscience Institute. You also had
the honor of speaking about biocomplexity
at the TEDXCaltech conference, which you
helped to co-organize in 2011.
Currently, your Caltech research group
specializes in collaborative nanoscience
research, focusing on the creation and
application
develop
of
the
nanodevices
domains
of
to
further
fundamental
measurement, engineering, and biological
and medical sciences.
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Most impressively, you were recently
named one of the brilliant scientists to
contribute to the Brain Activity Map project
launched by President Barak Obama. This
project plans to examine the function and
dysfunction of the brain, with the goal of
developing new technology and therapies
to better understand and treat diseases
such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
Throughout your career, you have indeed
created and fostered strong connections
with France.
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As a holder of a Chaire d’Exellence for the
past few years, you created a relationship
between Caltech and the Laboratoire
d’Electronique et des Technologies de
l’Information, LETI, located in Grenoble
and directed by the CEA.
The bond between these two organizations
was strengthened by numerous trips to
France
to
work
with
LETI
and
by
welcoming numerous French scientists to
work in your research laboratory.
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This collaboration led you and Laurent
Malier, the director of LETI, to found The
Alliance
for
partnership
Nanosystems
focused
VLSI,
on
a
creating
nanosystems-based tools.
The
Alliance
for
Nanosystems
VSLI
resulted in the establishment of a program
for
collaborative
research
and
higher
education, which was granted funding by
the Partner University Fund in 2009. This
fund is awarded to outstanding projects for
cooperative
research
and
education
programs between France and the U.S.
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In addition, this partnership led to the
creation of Apix technology, a joint start-up
company co-located in France and the
U.S.
By collaborating with French scientists and
by working closely with the Office for
Science and Technology of the Embassy
of France in the United States, you have
created
American
and
strengthened
connections
and,
Francomore
importantly, friendship between our two
countries.
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Professor Roukes, it is a great pleasure to
acknowledge all your achievements and
your crucial role in bringing the United
States and France closer together.
I am sure that your wife, Anna Gay, and
your two children, Nicholas and Matteo,
are
extremely
proud
of
your
accomplishments.
So, it is only justice that France recognizes
these achievements in the scientific field
and in bonding our countries closer
together.
I am honored and happy to
thank you by bestowing upon you the
Palmes Acacémiques.
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Professor Roukes,
Au
nom
du
Ministre
de
l’Education
Nationale et en vertu des pouvoirs qui me
sont conférés, je vous fais Chevalier dans
l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques.
-- M. Axel Cruau, Consul général de France à Los Angeles
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