Portal da Açorianidade

The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, awarded the Autonomic Commendation of Recognition to Ernest Moniz, a physicist of Azorean descent and former US Secretary of Energy. The award ceremony took place at the Sant’Ana Palace in Ponta Delgada on Monday, on the occasion of Ernest Moniz’s visit to the Region, where the University of the Azores awarded him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. He also spoke at the Portugal Day solemn session and delivered a lecture on energy at the Azorean Academy. Ernest Moniz was born in 1944 in Fall River, Massachusetts. The grandson of Azorean emigrants, he was a professor at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Currently, he is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Systems Engineering at MIT. In March 2013, he was appointed Secretary of Energy by President Barack Obama. He worked in Bill Clinton’s administration and is prominent in the Portuguese-American community. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry in Portugal on June 10, 2015. The Autonomic Commendation of Recognition bestowed on Ernest Moniz was officially announced on this year’s celebrations of the Azores Day.