Miguel Mostafá, dean of Temple University’s College of Science and Technology and a professor of physics, was honored recently with a Lifetime Achievement and Scientific Research Award and the “Lumen et Magister” for Scientific Research by the Scuola Medica Salernitana, the medical school founded around the year 1,000 in Salerno, Italy, known today as Università Popolare Nuova Scuola Medica Salernitana.
Established in 1999, this international award honors individuals for exceptional contributions to scientific research and the education of future generations, celebrating the legacy of the ancient medical school of Salerno, one of the earliest centers of medical education in the world.
In his remarks at the ceremony on November 29, Mostafá welcomed the recognition “with gratitude and with a great sense of responsibility, aware of the symbolic and historical value that it represents: an ideal bridge with the tradition of excellence and humanity that has made the Medical School of Salerno a beacon of knowledge for the entire Western world.”
Mostafá has made significant contributions to high-energy particle astrophysics. His cutting-edge research spans a wide range of areas, from gamma-ray observations using the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-ray Observatory to groundbreaking work on cosmic-ray anisotropies and particle interactions using a unique multimessenger approach at energies well beyond the reach of the experiments at the most powerful man-made particle accelerators. His research has garnered widespread recognition, with 11 renowned papers with over 500 citations each and more than 2,000 citations annually since 2017.
“Receiving this award in a place like Salerno, the cradle of modern medicine, is a source of great emotion for me,” said Mostafá. “The Salerno Medical School reminds us that science can never be separated from ethics, and that knowledge finds its highest meaning only when it is moved by compassion and the desire to improve the lives of others.”
For Mostafá, the award “takes me back to my youth, to the moment when I decided to dedicate my life to research, moved by curiosity and the dream of contributing, even in a small way, to the progress of humanity.
“Today, looking at my students and the new generations of scientists, I find that same passion, that same spark that ignites the mind and heart. I dedicate this recognition to them—as an encouragement to never stop seeking, questioning, uniting knowledge with hope.”