NCSE’s Eugenie C. Scott has been awarded the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the most prestigious award from the most prominent scientific honor society in the nation (at least). Care to guess the reaction at Billy Dembski’s place?:

I’m heartened to see our tax dollars working to such good effect.

The NAS is a publicly chartered nonprofit, not a government agency. The award’s past winners include Clinton science advisor Neal Lane (whose names are anagrams of one another), Herbert Hoover (for work done before his presidency), and J. Edgar Hoover (for actions taken while wearing men’s clothing).

Also Norman Borlaug (father of the Green Revolution in the developing world), Carl Sagan, C. Everett Koop, and godfather of the National Forests Gifford Pinchot. Pretty good company to be in.