A Champion for Science Communication

The late Jon Graff (1943-2021), a longtime reader of Science News, has invested in the future of science journalism and science communication at Society for Science in two ways — with gifts during his lifetime and with a charitable bequest.

Who was Jon? A pioneer in the field of digital cryptography, Jon Graff began his career as a prolific biochemistry and cell biology researcher. He then moved into the brand-new computer technology field as a cryptographic architect, designing secure systems for Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of An Introduction to Modern Cryptography (Springer Verlag, 2000), and has a patent in digital communications.

Jon made generous gifts to the Society from 2013 to 2020 to support Science News and to establish an annual prize honoring a young scientist (under age 40) with extraordinary talent in explaining scientific concepts. It's called The Jon C. Graff, PhD, Prize for Excellence in Science Communication.

The first two winners of the Graff Prize, Abigail L.S. Swann, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Washington (2019), and Anna S. Mueller, PhD, the Luther Dana Waterman Associate Professor of Sociology at Indiana University (2020), were selected for their unique ability to communicate scientific ideas with clarity to a wide range of audiences.

Jon died on January 29, 2021, in San Jose, California. A gift he planned through his estate will endow The Jon C. Graff, PhD, Fund for Science News, which will support the Society's journalists and fund the Graff Prize in perpetuity.

Jon Graff chose to leave a percentage of his residual estate to the Society; others choose to leave a specific sum of money through their will.

If you would like to know more about ways to remember Society for Science through your estate, please contact Lisa Russell-Mina at lrussellmina@societyforscience.org or 202-868-4857.