3 Chicagoans Among MacArthur 'Genius Grant' Winners
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three Chicagoans were among the 24 winners of $625,000 "genius grants" from the MacArthur Foundation, announced on Monday.
Formally known as MacArthur Fellowships, the five-year grants are awarded each year to people who the MacArthur Foundation says are transforming their fields.
Each winner is granted $625,000 over five years, no strings attached, in recognition of work the foundation finds creative and innovative.
Among the 24 winners this year are three Chicagoans – Art Institute assistant professor and photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier, University of Chicago computational biologist John Novembre, and Instituto del Progreso Latino CEO Juan Salgado.
According to the foundation, Salgado pioneered an education program that helps immigrants learn the skills they need for higher-paying jobs.
Novembre, an associate professor of human genetics, was honored for his work to shed light on human evolution, migration, and the cause of genetic diseases.
Frazier, an assistant professor of photography at the School of the Art Institute, was recognized for her use of visual autobiographies to document social inequality and historical change in the postindustrial age.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports the opportunity makes Latoya Ruby Frazier especially thankful.
"I've been able to tell the stories of people who have been marginalized and overlooked," she said.
Juan Salgado, an educator from the West Side got his call on Labor Day with the typical MacArthur Instructions.
"I have known since then and I was sworn to secrecy," he said. "I could only tell one person."
His Innovative Instituto Del Progresso Latino gives struggling adults a future. for example turning 30 year olds with a 6th grade education into licensed practicing nurses in just three years.
"We ensure there is a job at the end of the road that pays them well," he said.
The money for Salgado and the institute means focusing more time on people in need, and less on financing the their programs.
"There are sometimes where there are some things we believe are just the right thing to do I don't have to ask anybody if their vision aligns with ours, we can just do it," Salgado said.
The other 21 winners range from scientists and economists to artists and entrepreneurs. One helped engineer a process to transform wastewater into a valuable resource, while another investigated the impact of housing policies on racial and economic inequality. Another helped create tools and furniture to enable disabled children be active in their homes and communities.
For a full list and biographies of this year's winners, click here.
