Samsung honors 2024 Ho-Am Prize winners
The 2024 laureates of the Samsung Ho-Am Prize pose before the ceremony held at Hotel Shilla in Seoul, Friday. From left are K. Heran Darwin, Kimberly Briggman, who accepted the award on behalf of her late husband Nam Sae-woo, Lee Su-in, Peter Park, Han Kang and Gerardine Ryan. Courtesy of the Ho-Am Foundation
The Ho-Am Foundation hosted its annual Samsung Ho-Am Prize award ceremony at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on Friday, with 270 people in attendance, including the families of the awardees.
"I consider it a great joy and pride to have such outstanding individuals as awardees," Kim Hwang-sik, chairman of the Ho-Am Foundation, said in the opening remarks.
"This year, two-thirds of the awardees are women, reaching a record high of four recipients. It is pleasing to see this, as it reflects a different aspect of the changes and progress in our society," Kim added.
This year's chemistry and life sciences award went to K. Heran Darwin, a biology professor at New York University who discovered the protein recycling system in tuberculosis for the first time.
In the field of physics and mathematics, Nam Sae-woo, a quantum physicist who developed the world's most efficient single-photon detectors, was honored. His wife accepted the award on his behalf at the ceremony, as he died in January during the selection process.
Lee Su-in, a computer science professor at the University of Washington, was recognized for her excellence in the engineering sector. She developed the explainable AI framework, SHAP, which allows people to trust AI decisions.
Peter Park, a professor at Harvard Medical School, received the award in the medicine sector for developing computational analysis methods to decipher the vast genetic information in cells' DNA.
Han Kang, Korea's representative novelist and the author of the 2007 book "The Vegetarian," was recognized for her efforts in exploring human existence and the sorrows of modern Korean history.
For the community service category, Gerardine Ryan, an Irish sister who dedicated her life to medical service and disability rehabilitation in Korea's southern city of Mokpo, was selected. She has committed the past 50 years to this work since coming to the country in 1975.
Each winner in their respective category received a certificate, a medal and a prize of 300 million won ($216,294).
The Samsung Ho-Am Prize was established in 1990 to continue the spirit of Samsung Founder Lee Byung-chull. It honors individuals who have contributed to the "ennoblement of the human spirit in academics, the arts, and human welfare" in their respective fields.