The John and Catherine McArthur Foundation has announced the twenty-five recipients of the 2008 “genius grants.” Each recipient receives $500,000 in unrestricted funds to carry on his or her work. McArthur recipient Marin Soljacic, an assistant professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a theoretical physicist whose work on electromagnetic waves increased understanding of the fundamental principles of optical physics and could prove significant in the development of devices such as switches for optical computers and wireless power transmitters. Recently, Soljacic and his colleagues demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally that strongly coupled electromagnetic resonances can wirelessly transfer power over a few meters—an advance that could be used for the wireless recharging of laptop computers, cell phones, and other devices.For more on Soljacic and another MIT honoree, see the MIT website.
MIT Physicist Researching Electromagnetic Waves Wins McArthur Genius Award
