Posted: Wed, Sep 25, 2002, 1:45 PM ET (1745 GMT)
A Caltech astronomer and a Cornell University physicist have each received a "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation, the organization announced Wednesday. Charles Steidel, a Caltech astronomer, won a grant for his studies of distant, and therefore young, galaxies, providing new data on the early history of the universe. Paul Ginsparg, a theoretical physicist at Cornell, won a grant for his work establishing arXiv.org, a web site that allows the free distribution of research papers in physics, astronomy, and related fields, often bypassing the conventional review and publication system. The foundation annually awards two dozen such grants to people working in the arts and sciences, providing $500,000 over five years with no strings attached.

Related Links:

•  Los Angeles Times article
•  Cornell University press release
•  MacArthur Foundation