Academia Sinica President Emeritus Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee has been awarded the "Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero" by the Government of the Republic of Panama for playing a leading role in the advancement of science for educational and peaceful purposes. The President of the Republic of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli presented the honor to Dr. Lee on October 17, 2012, during the 14th National Congress of Science and Technology being held in Ciudad del Saber, Panama from October 17 to 20, 2012. This Congress was co-organized by the National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) of Panama and the Panamanian Association for the Advancement of Science, and Dr. Lee was invited to deliver the Opening Inaugural Lecture on October 17.

　　The Orden de Manuel Amador Guerrero (Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero) is the highest honor of Panama. It is named after Manuel Amador Guerrero, the first president of Panama. The Order was established on the 50th anniversary of Panama's independence on October 29, 1953, and has been awarded to distinguished people (both Panamanians and non-Panamanians) for over 50 years in recognition of outstanding service of a civic, scientific, artistic, or humanitarian nature. The medal is awarded in four grades. Dr. Lee has been awarded the order at the grade of the Grand Cross. The other recipient of the award this year is Dr. Eric Douglas Green, Director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, who was awarded the medal at the grade of Grand Officer.

　　Dr. Lee was elected an Academia Sinica Academician in 1980 and was the President of Academia Sinica from 1994 to 2006. He has received numerous awards during his career, most famously the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science (1975), the US National Academy of Sciences (1979), Academia Sinica (1980), the Gottingen Academy of Sciences, Germany (1988), and the Pontifical Academy of Science (2007); an honorary foreign member of the Indian National Science Academy (1997), the Japan Academy (2007), and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2007). He has received honorary doctoral degrees from almost 40 universities around the world.
   　 Dr. Lee is currently the President of the International Council of Science (ICSU) where he is committed to promoting international academic cooperation and sustainable development for human society.