KYOTO -- An international group of engineers who developed the world's first microprocessor in 1971 were among the laureates of this year's Kyoto Prize, presented Monday by the Inamori Foundation.
Masatoshi Shima of Japan, Federico Faggin of Italy, and Marcian Hoff and Stanley Mazor of the United States jointly received the prize in the field of advanced technology.
This year marked the first time the award has been offered to a group. The foundation usually awards a medal and 50 million yen to one laureate from each of the areas of advanced technology, basic sciences and creative arts.
In the other categories, American biologist Daniel Janzen was rewarded for his contributions to the field of ecology and environmental conservation in the tropics, while French composer Iannis Xenakis was honored for his development of techniques to create music with computers.
The screening committee usually picks one laureate from each of the three fields, focusing on the achievements of each person.