Cato T. Laurencin, member of the NAM, NAS, and NAE, will receive the Spingarn Medal during the NAACP’s 112th Annual Convention, recognizing his work in tissue regeneration, biomaterials science, nanotechnology, and regenerative engineering, a field he founded. The Spingarn Medal “is awarded for the highest or noblest achievement by a living African American during the preceding year or years in any honorable field”, and previous Spingarn medal awardees include Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, and Martin Luther King, Jr.