Abstract
Zafra Lerman has been named a recipient of the 2016 Andrei Sakharov Prize for her outstanding leadership and achievements upholding human rights. The Andrei Sakharov Prize is awarded every second year by the American Physical Society (APS) since 2006. The recipients are chosen for “outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights”. The prize is named after Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989), Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist.
Lerman received the Prize “For life-long devotion to the scientific freedom and human rights of scientists throughout the world and for compelling leadership in using science as a bridge to peace in the Middle East.” The $10,000 prize was presented on 17 April 2016, at the APS meeting in Salt Lake City. Lerman’s presentation titled “Human Rights and Peace - A Personal Odyssey” captured her life-long as endeavor as a science educator and humanitarian.
Zafra Lerman received her award from APS President Homer A. Neal.
Lerman is a founder and president of the Malta Conferences Foundation which organizes the Biennial Malta Conferences promoting international scientific cooperation and diplomacy as a bridge to peace in the Middle East. The conferences bring scientists from Middle Eastern nations together with several Nobel laureates to explore regional problems, establish cross-border collaborations and build relationships of trust. See report on the recent Malta 2015 conference, page 35.
©2016 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
