Margaret Murnane was honored by Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins at the Aras an Uachtarain.
JILA Fellow Margaret Murnane was one of 10 recipients of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney announced the names of the award winners on the 28th of November 2018. These awards, established in 2012, are meant to recognize the contributions of members of the Irish diaspora.
Each of the awards is for contributions to a specific category. Murnane received the science, technology and innovation award for her work as “one of the leading optical physicists of her generation,” according The Irish Times.
The awards were presented on Thursday, November 29th, 2018, by Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgens.
Other recipients of the award include Novelist Edna O’Brien and Irish-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy.