Meet the 2010 MacArthur Fellows

inspiring and preparing public high school students for careers in science and mathematics through an innovative curriculum that integrates applied physics, engineering, and robotics.

reviving a long-silent language and restoring to her Native American community a vital sense of its cultural heritage and to the nation a link to our complex past.

using sophisticated acoustic engineering technology to explore the previously invisible behavior of ocean creatures and address long-unanswered questions about the structure and behavior of food chains.

preserving the legacy of a centuries-old artistic tradition and expanding the art of hand letter carving with the beauty and craftsmanship of his own designs.

enhancing our understanding of a wide range of biological processes and systems by synthesizing data from a variety of fields into scientifically accurate, aesthetically rich visualizations.

mining DNA sequence data to address fundamental questions about the mechanisms of evolution, the complex origins of human genetic diversity, and patterns of population migration.

crafting letterforms of unequaled elegance and precision for a range of applications and media that span the migration of text from the printed page to computer screens.

reinvigorating classic American plays with a spirit and urgency that eschews nostalgia and provides audiences with unexpectedly fresh and compelling theatrical experiences.

investigating the hydrodynamics of jellyfish propulsion, which has profound implications for our understanding of evolutionary adaptation and such related issues in fluid dynamics as blood flow in the human heart.

combining archaeological scholarship with historical preservation to reveal the dynamics of intellectual and social life in New Orleans from its establishment as a French colony to the present day.

enriching our understanding of colonial and early American interracial relations by disentangling the complicated history of two distinct founding families.

dramatizing the myriad effects of late-twentieth-century China's sweeping social changes in a deeply moving, yet quietly understated, style of storytelling.

working at the intersection of fundamental photonics and nanofabrication engineering to design silicon-based photonic circuits that are paving the way for practical optical computing devices.

linking optics, condensed matter, and quantum mechanics in research that enhances our ability to detect and quantify gravitational radiation.

blending a variety of musical styles in genre-crossing performances that expand the boundaries of jazz expression.

illuminating the unique structure and evolution of sign languages and the specific social implications of signed communication.

challenging the distinction between fine art and design, as well as the constraints of museum and gallery spaces, with visually seductive works at the intersection of painting, sculpture, and architecture.

providing richly rewarding musical experiences and education for urban youth and their families while forging new roles beyond the concert hall for the twenty-first-century musician.

drawing on quantitative analyses, behavioral experiments, and theoretical insights to enhance our understanding of the relationship between income and tax policy.

crafting richly textured narratives that engage wide-ranging audiences and confront some of the most daunting challenges facing America’s urban centers.

exploring the deep interactions among software, hardware, and networks to increase the stability of computer systems vulnerable to remote attack or interference.

protecting one of the world’s most important pollinators—the honey bee—from decimation by disease while making important contributions to our understanding of bee biology.

transforming her signature medium of marble, a traditionally monumental and prone-to-fracture material, into intricate, seemingly weightless works of art.