The Robert Holland Jr. Award was created by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement to honor senior scientists for their exceptional contributions in research, teaching, mentorship, and impact on helping students achieve their full potential. The Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) is a private foundation created in 1912 with a mission to support basic scientific research and education. This year, the Foundation selected Prof. Amy Mainzer of UCLA’s Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences to be one of the three recipients of the 2026 Holland Award in recognition of her contributions to asteroid and comet research as well as raising public awareness and engagement with science. Prof. Mainzer was inducted to be part of the community of RSCA’s Cottrell Scholars, a cohort of researchers, scientific leaders, teachers, and mentors spanning astronomy, chemistry, and physics. Prof. Mainzer is leading NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission, a space telescope currently under construction that is aimed at finding the majority of potentially hazardous asteroids and comets capable of causing severe regional destruction. She was also the science advisor, co-executive producer, and host of the PBS Kids television show Ready Jet Go, and is the host of the new podcast Unobtanium, that explores the connection between science and storytelling.
Learn more about the award: https://rescorp.org/cottrell-scholars/robert-holland-jr-award/