Awards Celebration of the
Washington Academy of Sciences
May 8, 2025
WAS 2025 Award Winners
The Academy is pleased to announce these awards to exceptional leaders in science, engineering and education for 2025:
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sudip Parikh
“A Great America Needs Great Science”
Dr. Sudip Parikh is Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Executive Publisher of the Science family of journals. In his talk, Dr. Sudip reviewed a few examples of the ways that recent scientific discoveries have led to life-saving benefits for America and the world. His presentation was followed by the awardees, a prestigious assembly of scientists and engineers. Most of them live in the Washington, DC area, and many work for the federal government.
New Board of Managers of the Washington Academy of Sciences

Tributes to the Washington Academy of Sciences on its 125th Anniversary
In May 2023 The Washington Academy of Sciences celebrated its 125th Anniversary in conjunction with its Annual Awards Banquet. Special highlights of this event included tributes to the Academy from four leading scientists in the Washington DC area. Following are short videos of their presentations:
Dr. S. Panchanathan, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)
Dr. S. Panchanathan, previous Director of the National Science Foundation, offers encouraging comments about the educational work of the Washington Academy of Sciences.
Dr. William Phillips, National Institute of Science and Technology
Dr. Phillips won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 for his development of techniques for the study and manipulation of single cold atoms, which led to more precise GPS location mapping, precision clocks and other practical solutions.
Dr. Vint Cerf, Google Inc.
Dr. Cerf was one of the early developers of the internet. He has been a long-time member and supporter of the Washington Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Laurie Locascio, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Dr. Locascio recently retired as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). From 2017 to 2022, Locascio served as Vice President for Research at the University of Maryland.
The board members of the Washington Academy of Sciences are grateful for the recognition offered to the Academy by these leading science and management leaders from the DC area!
Past Presentations
The Washington Academy of Sciences now includes on this website an archive of audio, video and slide presentations sponsored or submitted by members of the Academy. Please visit our presentations page for a list of these fascinating presentations!