In the second half of the 1960s, when the mainstream trend was toward ever-larger computers, Dr. Kay proposed the concept of the personal computer as a tool to support the intellectual work of individuals, and thus initiated a paradigm shift in the computer world. Further, as a pioneer in the development of the graphical user interface and object-oriented language environment, he has made a fundamental contribution toward making today's "personal computing" a reality.

In the early 1970s, Dr. Knudson proposed the "two-hit" hypothesis as a genetic mechanism of carcinogenesis through an elegant statistical analysis of retinoblastoma, a pediatric eye cancer. He soon advanced this hypothesis and reached the concept that mutational changes in the "anti-oncogene," now termed the "tumor suppressor gene," underlie the development of cancer. His "two-hit" hypothesis and the concept of "tumor suppression" have opened a new horizon in modern cancer genetics and played a pivotal role in recent major developments in cancer research.

With his far-ranging grasp of both theory (epistemology) and practice (ethics and social philosophy), Professor Habermas has developed a theoretical construct of social philosophy that deals with the act of communication and the formation of consensus through debate, thereby creating an image of what human society should and can be. He has had a great influence on society, both as a superb theoretician, and as a person who speaks out passionately in accordance with his own philosophy about real social issues.