Georgetown University Professor Earns Prestigious Award for Work in Human Language

A neurology professor at Georgetown University wins a Franklin Institute Award with a career devoted to human language acquisition.

The Franklin Institute honors professionals in science and business. Eight other people joined Elissa L. Newport for the 2015 recognition. She was one of two women to receive an award this year.

Newport is a neurology professor and director of the Georgetown University/MedStar National Rehabilitation Network Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery. During her career, Newport has studied the differences in learning language as well as stroke recovery between children and adults.

“These are some of the greatest minds and most influential pioneers of our time who come to Philadelphia to receive this honor and inspire us all,” President and CEO of The Franklin Institute Larry Dubinski said in a news release. “They are the Franklins of today, and through their remarkable contributions, there is no question that they will inspire the Franklins of tomorrow.”

Former Franklin Institute Award honorees include Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, and Stephen Hawking.

The citation for Newport’s Benjamin Franklin Medal In Computer And Cognitive Science reads that she was awarded:

“for her contributions to understanding the nature of human language, including the acquisition of spoken and visual language in both typically developing children and those developing in atypical environments; to characterizing critical periods for language learning; and to improving methods for language recovery after damage to the brain.”

CBS’s Face the Nation’s Bob Schieffer will host the ceremony where Newport and other laureates receive their awards April 23, 2015.

For more information visit The Franklin Institute.