Solomon Snyder, University Distinguished Service Professor of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Psychiatry, was among an elite group of 16 who received the nation’s highest honor in science and technology in a White House ceremony March 14. Snyder received the National Medal of Science for his contributions to the understanding of neurotransmitters, their receptors in the nervous system, mechanisms of action of psychoactive drugs and pathways of signal transduction in the brain. Riccardo Giacconi, University Professor in the Krieger School’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, also won the award for his research in X-ray astronomy and leadership of major astronomy facilities. “Your work is making our country more competitive, more hopeful and more prosperous,” President Bush said before handing out the medals in the White House’s East Room.