biology

International Prize for Biology

International Prize for Biology is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand International Prize for Biology rather than just read about it. In short: The International Prize for Biology (国際生物学賞, Kokusai Seibutsugaku-shō) is an annual award for "outstanding contribution to the advancement of research in fundamental biology." The Prize, although it is not always awarded to a biologist, is one of the most prestigious honours a natural scientist can receive. There are no restrictions on the nationality of the recipient.

Key takeaways

International Prize for Biology belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect International Prize for Biology to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of International Prize for Biology from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The International Prize for Biology (国際生物学賞, Kokusai Seibutsugaku-shō) is an annual award for "outstanding contribution to the advancement of research in fundamental biology." The Prize, although it is not always awarded to a biologist, is one of the most prestigious honours a natural scientist can receive. There are no restrictions on the nationality of the recipient. Past laureates include John B. Gurdon, Motoo Kimura, Edward O. Wilson, Ernst Mayr, Thomas Cavalier-Smith, Yoshinori Ohsumi and many other great biologists in the world.

Information

The International Prize of Biology was created in 1985 to commemorate the 60-year reign of Emperor Shōwa of Japan and his longtime interest in and support of biology. The selection and award of the prize is managed by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The laureate is awarded a beautiful medal, 10 million yen, and an international symposium on the scientist's area of research is held in Tokyo. The prize ceremony is held in the presence of Emperor of Japan. The first International Prize for Biology was awarded to E. J. H. Corner, who was a prominent scientist in the field of systematic biology, because Emperor Shōwa was interested in and worked on this field for long time.

Criteria The Prize is awarded in accordance with the following criteria:

The Prize shall be made by the Committee every year, commencing in 1985. The Prize shall consist of a medal and a prize of ten million (10,000,000) yen. There shall be no restrictions on the nationality of the recipient. The Prize shall be awarded to an individual who, in the judgment of the members of the Committee, has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of research in fundamental biology. The specialty within the field of biology for which the Prize will be awarded shall be decided upon annually by the Committee. The Committee shall be advised on suitable candidates for the Prize by a selection committee, which will consist of Japanese and overseas members. The selection committee shall invite nominations of candidates from such relevant individuals and organizations at home and abroad as the selection committee may deem appropriate. The selection committee shall submit to the Committee a report containing recommendations of the candidate for the Prize and supporting statement. The Prize shall be presented every year. In conjunction with the ceremony, an international symposium is held in which the Prize recipient is invited to give a special lecture.

Background

The Emperors of Japan have been famous for their special interest in science, in particular biology. Emperor Akihito has strived over many years to advance the study taxonomy of gobioid fishes.

It was a particularly charming moment when Emperor of Japan, Akihito, who has studied the taxonomy and evolution of gobioid fishes, mentioned in his congratulatory address during the award ceremony that he has used the neighbor-joining method to construct phylogenetic trees during his studies of these fishes.

Laureates Source: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

See also Japan Society for the Promotion of Science List of biology awards

External links International Prize for Biology

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with International Prize for Biology

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what International Prize for Biology claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to International Prize for Biology before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about International Prize for Biology ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of International Prize for Biology

In research: International Prize for Biology appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses International Prize for Biology in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: International Prize for Biology is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1985 establishments in Japan, Awards established in 1985, Biology awards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for International Prize for Biology outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study International Prize for Biology in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what International Prize for Biology means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain International Prize for Biology out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is International Prize for Biology in simple terms?

Why does International Prize for Biology matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study International Prize for Biology?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on International Prize for Biology.