The Hector Medal, formerly known as the Hector Memorial Medal, is a science award given by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in memory of Sir James Hector to researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded annually in rotation for different sciences – currently there are three: chemical sciences; physical sciences; mathematical and information sciences. It is given to a researcher who "has undertaken work of great scientific or technological merit and has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the particular branch of science." It was previously rotated through more fields of science – in 1918 they were: botany, chemistry, ethnology, geology, physics (including mathematics and astronomy), zoology (including animal physiology). For a few years it was awarded biennially – it was not awarded in 2000, 2002 or 2004.
In 1991 it was overtaken by the Rutherford Medal as the highest award given by the Royal Society of New Zealand.
The obverse of the medal bears the head of James Hector and the reverse a Māori snaring a huia. The last confirmed sighting of a living huia predates the award of the medal by three years.
Recipients Year Recipient Field 1912 Leonard CockayneBotany 1913 Thomas EasterfieldChemistry 1914 Elsdon BestEthnology 1915 Patrick MarshallGeology 1916 Ernest RutherfordPhysics 1917 Charles ChiltonZoology 1918 Thomas CheesemanBotany 1919 Philip RobertsonChemistry 1920 Percy SmithEthnology 1921 Robert SpeightGeology 1922 Coleridge FarrPhysics 1923 George HudsonZoology 1924 Donald PetrieBotany 1925 Bernard AstonChemistry 1926 Harry SkinnerEthnology 1927 Charles CottonGeology1928 Duncan SommervilleMathematics1929 George ThomsonZoology1930 John HollowayBotany1931 William Percival EvansChemistry1932 Peter Buck (Te Rangi Hīroa)Ethnology1933 John Marwick, Noel BensonGeology1934 Charles Ernest WeatherburnMathematics1935 William BenhamZoology1936 Walter OliverBotany1937 John Reader HoskingChemistry1938 Herbert WilliamsEthnology1939 Arthur BartrumGeology1940 Donald MacleodPhysics1941 Harold FinlayZoology1942 Harry AllanBotany1943 Bob BriggsChemistry1944 Johannes Carl AndersenEthnology1945 John HendersonGeology1946 Henry ForderMathematics1947 Baden PowellZoology1948 G. H. CunninghamBotany1949 Robert Anthony RobinsonChemistry1950 Ernest BeagleholeEthnology1951 Francis John TurnerGeology1952 Keith BullenGeophysics1953 Lance RichdaleZoology1954 Lucy CranwellBotany1955 Brian ShorlandChemistry1956 Roger DuffEthnology1957 Harold WellmanGeology1958 Alister McLellanMathematics1959 Barry FellZoology1960 Ted ChamberlainBotany1961 Harry BloomChemistry1962 Ralph PiddingtonEthnology1963 Charles FlemingGeology1964 Derek LawdenMathematics1965 Richard DellZoology1966 Jack HollowayBotany1967 Con CambieChemistry 1968 Gilbert ArcheyEthnology1969 Doug CoombsGeology1970 Brian WybournePhysics1971 Ira CunninghamZoology1972 Ted BollardBotany1973 Michael HartshornChemistry1974 Herbert PurvesMedicine1975 Robert HayesGeology1976 Jack DoddPhysics1977 Cam ReidZoology1978 Richard MatthewsBotany1979 Leon PhillipsChemistry1980 Graham LigginsMedicine1981 Trevor HathertonGeology1982 Roy KerrMathematics1983 Ray ForsterZoology1984 Rod BieleskiBotany1985 Peter de la MareChemistry1986 Robin CarrellMedicine1987 Jim EllisChemistry1988 Dan WallsPhysics1989 Patricia BergquistZoology1990 Peter WardleBotany1991 Warren RoperChemistry1992 Roger GreenEthnology1993 Dick WalcottGeology1994 Geoff StedmanPhysics 1995 Bob JollyZoology 1996 John C. ButcherMathematics 1997 Ted BakerChemistry 1998 Paul Callaghan, Jeff TallonPhysics 1999 George SeberStatistics 2000 No award 2001 Peter SchwerdtfegerChemistry2002 No award 2003 Ken MacKenzieMaterials science2004 No award 2005 Ian WittenComputer science 2006 Richard FurneauxChemistry 2007Timothy HaskellPhysics 2008Gaven MartinMathematics 2009 Peter Steel Chemistry 2010 Grant Williams Physics 2011 Rod Downey Mathematics 2012 Margaret Brimble Chemistry 2013 Richard Blaikie Physics 2014 Marston Conder Mathematics 2015 Ian Brown Chemistry 2016 Stéphane Coen Physics 2017 Sally Brooker Chemistry 2018 Matt Visser Mathematical physics 2019 Jadranka Travaš-Sejdić Polymers and nanomaterials 2020 Eamonn O’Brien Mathematical theory of groups2021Eric Le RuChemical physics2022Murray CoxPopulation genetic theory2023Niels KjærgaardPhysics2024Charles SempleMathematics2025Christian HartingerBiological chemistry
See also :Category:New Zealand scientists The Shorland Medal given by the New Zealand Association of Scientists List of chemistry awards List of mathematics awards List of physics awards
References
External links
Hector Medal, Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi