Meet the 2008 MacArthur Fellows

exploring the circumstances that lead to ethnic conflict in richly imagined novels and stories inspired by events in her native Nigeria.

transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved, urban populations through a novel synthesis of low-cost farming technologies.

delivering high-quality medical care to diverse, underserved communities in Alabama and ensuring that the most vulnerable among us are not forgotten.

opening avenues into the mysteries of how new species originate through her explorations of incompatible hybrids as a mechanism for speciation in shared ecological niches.

transforming accumulations of ordinary materials into visually arresting, sculptural works reminiscent of geological and biological forms.

introducing multi-pronged treatment strategies for some of the most pressing pandemics of our time — HIV/AIDS and TB — diseases that often afflict people with the least access to quality health care.

using novel, ground-based telescopic techniques to identify thousands of new star systems and illuminate the role of super-massive black holes in the evolution of galaxies.

illuminating the intellectual and emotional life of ancient Mesoamerican peoples through insightful interpretations of hieroglyphic inscriptions and figural art.

translating practical designs into intricately coiled vessels that preserve the centuries-old craft of sweetgrass basketry and push the tradition in stunning new directions.

broadening the instrument’s repertoire and captivating audiences through her juxtaposition of the avant-garde and eclectic with the more traditional.

deepening insights into the fundamental nature of quantum physics and bringing us closer to realizing the full potential of quantum computing.

inventing instruments inspired by experimental and traditional musical forms to produce electro-acoustic works that navigate the boundary between live and recorded performance.

synthesizing approaches from genetics, genomics, ecology, and embryology to address one of the most challenging questions in developmental biology — how organs are formed.

transforming treatment for the seriously ill into more humane and effective care.

unsettling accepted wisdom about both local and global environmental change by exploring the ecological consequences of a wide range of Earth surface processes.

restoring structures from the distant past and identifying ancient technologies for use in contemporary constructions.

devising life-saving, clinical practices that are improving patient safety in hospitals and sparing countless lives from the often deadly consequences of human error.

designing experiments and devices to advance our understanding of the geometry of the universe and to trace the story of both its beginning and its end.

offering both highly specialized and casual readers new ways of thinking about the music of the past and its place in our future.

elucidating in meticulously researched and elegant prose the profound impact of medical theory and practice on Renaissance society, culture, and religion.

demonstrating both theoretically and experimentally that power can be transmitted wirelessly, potentially leading to a range of electrical devices that can operate without batteries or wall connections.

tracing the natural interactions of differentiating neurons in the development of complex, heterogeneous tissue to bring us closer to effective clinical treatments for central nervous system damage.

pushing the visual boundaries of her art form with painterly lighting that evokes mood and sculpts movement in dance, drama, and opera.

integrating electrophysiology, neuropharmacology, molecular genetics, and anatomy to measure the activity of neurons in the diminutive brain of the fruit fly.

drawing from a variety of jazz idioms and the indigenous music of his native Puerto Rico to create a new language of complex, yet accessible sounds that overflow with emotion.