Point Loma Nazarene University Names Science and Technology Journalist and Author Sharon Weinberger as 2012 Kyoto Prize Journalism Fellow

Fellowship Sponsors a U.S.-Based Reporter to Meet the 2012 Kyoto Prize Laureates in Japan November 7-14

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) today announced that Sharon A. Weinberger, a Washington D.C.-based science and technology journalist, has been named the recipient of the 2012 Kyoto Prize Journalism Fellowship and will attend the 28th annual Kyoto Prize events in Japan.

“We’re honored to give Ms. Weinberger the opportunity to learn more about the impressive work of the laureates and the prestigious Kyoto Prize by providing exclusive access to the Kyoto Prize events in Japan.”

Ms. Weinberger is an accomplished and esteemed journalist, researcher and author with a focus on the science and technologies related to the government, defense and national security. Her writing has appeared in Nature, Discover, Slate, Wired, the Washington Post Magazine, and the Financial Times, among other publications. She has also served on the editorial staffs of several publications, including Aviation Week and AOL News, and previously worked for the Department of State. Ms. Weinberger has earned several fellowships, including the Carnegie National Security Journalism Fellowship (2011), Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship (2011), International Reporting Project Fellowship (2009), Knight Science Journalism Fellowship (2008-2009), Carnegie Newhouse Legal Reporting Fellowship (2008-2009), and Nation Institute Investigative Fellowship (2007, 2008 and 2009). She is currently participating in a fellowship as Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Weinberger will participate in educational opportunities culminating in this year’s Kyoto Prize awards ceremony on November 10, followed by lectures, workshops and one-on-one discussions with the newest Kyoto Prize laureates. They include Dr. Ivan Sutherland (U.S.), a computer scientist and researcher widely considered to be the “Father of Computer Graphics”; Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi (Japan), a molecular cell biologist who has done pioneering work in autophagy; and Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (U.S.), an Indian literary critic, intellectual and professor known for her theoretical work for the humanities.

“The Kyoto Prize Fellowship has provided many highly respected journalists the educational opportunity to attend the Ceremony, lectures and other activities in Kyoto, Japan,” said Dr. Bob Brower, PLNU president. “We’re honored to give Ms. Weinberger the opportunity to learn more about the impressive work of the laureates and the prestigious Kyoto Prize by providing exclusive access to the Kyoto Prize events in Japan.”

For more information about the Kyoto Prize, visit www.kyotoprize.org/en/. Information about North America’s Kyoto Prize Symposium in March 2013 can be found at www.kyotoprize-us.org.

About Point Loma Nazarene University

Point Loma Nazarene University is a private liberal arts university located in San Diego, California, with graduate program regional centers throughout Southern California. Home to approximately 2,400 undergraduates and 1,100 graduate students, PLNU is committed to providing higher education in a vital Christian community where minds are engaged and challenged, character is modeled and formed, and service becomes an expression of faith. PLNU’s Kyoto Prize Journalism Fellowship is an equal-opportunity program awarded exclusively on the basis of merit without regard to personal or religious affiliations or attributes.

About the Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Prize

The non-profit Inamori Foundation was established in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera Corporation, founder of and honorary adviser to KDDI Corporation, and chairman emeritus of Japan Airlines. The Foundation created the Kyoto Prize in 1985, in line with Dr. Inamori’s belief that a human being has no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of society, and that the future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between our scientific progress and our spiritual depth. With the 2012 laureates, the prize has honored 90 individuals and one foundation — collectively representing 16 nations. Individual laureates range from scientists, engineers and researchers to philosophers, painters, architects, sculptors, musicians and film directors. The United States has produced the most recipients (36), followed by Japan (16), the United Kingdom (12), and France (8). This year’s laureates will reconvene in San Diego for the 13^th annual Kyoto Prize Symposium, March 12-14, 2013. More information can be found at www.kyotoprize.org/en/.