The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has bestowed on AME's Prof. Terry Langdon its most prestigious award, the Honorary Medal "De Scientia et Humanitate Optime Meritis" for 2009. The medal honors Czechs and non-Czechs distinguished by exceptionally meritorious contributions in science and the promotion of humanitarian ideas. Langdon was cited for his "outstanding and generally acknowledged scientific achievements in ... material science," and also thanked for his long-term cooperation with Czech scientists. He is only the 15^th non-Czech to receive the award.

Langdon's Czech connection began in the early 1970s. He was interested in the high temperature creep and plastic flow of metals. At that time the prominent research centers for high temperature creep were University of California at Berkeley and Josef Čadek's group at the Institute of Physics of Materials of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Brno. Langdon connected with Čadek, who was doing work very similar to his own, and continued his collaborations with Čadek's students, particularly with Václav Sklenička who is now the former director of the institute. He also developed collaborations with Professor Pavel Lukáč and members of the Department of Physics of Materials at Charles University in Prague.

Langdon has also been on the International Committe for the International Symposium on Physics of Materials (ISPMA) hosted at Charles University at intervals of 3-4 years. The ISPMA's purpose is to bring together an international group of researchers interested in the plasticity of metals and alloys.

Terry Langdon will receive the Honorary Medal "De Scientia et Humanitate Optime Meritis" at a special ceremony to be held at the headquarters of the Academy of Sciences in Prague on November 3, 2009. While in the Czech Republic he will give invited talks in Prague and Brno.