24 ‘geniuses’ receive grants
Chicago ? A soil scientist trying to end hunger in Africa, a nursing professor searching for better ways to treat elderly cancer patients and a writer who explains issues such as adoption and death in her children’s books were among 24 winners Sunday of this year’s $500,000 MacArthur Foundation “genius grants.”
As it has in previous years, the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation offered the awards to people in an array of fields.
“The central theme is creativity, and what the diversity of this class of fellows reaffirms is that creativity can be found in many places in our society,” said Jonathan Fanton, the president of the foundation.
Fanton said the grants, first given out in 1981, have been handed to people in a growing variety of fields in recent years as the foundation looks for “talent in unusual places.”
Among the latest MacArthur fellows is Pedro A. Sanchez, 62, a leader in international agroforestry who once led a team that dramatically improved the productivity of land in Brazil and did the same on the land of African farmers.