The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today named 25 new MacArthur Fellows for 2006, including a developmental biologist, a sculptor, a country doctor, a jazz violinist and a deep-sea explorer. All were selected for their creativity, originality and potential to make important contributions in the future and learned by a phone call from the foundation that they will each receive $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years.

"Selection for a MacArthur Fellowship is the culmination of an intensive review of the creative efforts and promise of each fellow. Our call comes as a complete surprise and offers the new fellows the gift of time and an unfettered opportunity to reflect, explore and create," said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton.

MacArthur Fellowships come without stipulations or reporting requirements, offering the opportunity for fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions. Fellowships are awarded to women and men of all ages and at all career stages.

Recipients this year include:

Regina Carter, "a jazz violinist inventing a modern repertoire for the violin in contemporary and improvisational music."

Kevin Eggan, "a developmental biologist investigating cellular differentiation and plasticity and moving the field an important step closer to therapeutic applications for myriad human diseases."

David Macaulay, "an illustrator/writer celebrating civilization's greatest architectural and engineering achievements."

Edith Widder, "a deep-sea explorer inventing technologically innovative device for observing and collecting data from the ocean's depths."

D. Holmes Morton, "a country doctor revolutionizing service, research and outcomes for clinical treatment of rare genetic diseases."

Claire Tomlin, "an aviation engineer expanding the abstract mathematical principles of control systems theory to address practical problems in such areas as aircraft flight control and collision avoidance."

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, "a narrative journalist forging a new form of literary journalism with an eye for detail and a passion for depth to illuminate world's little known and less understood.

David Carroll, "a naturalist helping people of all ages to see the beauty, history, and value in swamps, bogs, kettle ponds, and rivers."

Josiah McElheny, "a sculptor recasting the decorative and functional traditions of glass art through exquisite creations that invite thoughtful reflection."

Matias Zaldarriaga, "a cosmologist analyzing faint signatures of the Big Bang and developing valuable interpretive tools to piece together the early history of the cosmos."

The MacArthur Fellows Program was the first major grantmaking initiative of the fundation. The inaugural class of MacArthur Fellows was named in 1981. Including this year's fellows, 732 people, ranging in age from 18 to 82 at the time of their selection, have been named MacArthur Fellows since the inception of the program.

The selection process begins with formal nominations. Hundred of anonymous nominators assist the foundation in identifying people to be considered for a MacArthur Fellowship. Nominations are accepted only from invited nominators, a list that is constantly renewed throughout the year. They are chosen from many fields and challenged to identify people who demonstrate exceptional creativity and promise. A 12 member Selection Committee, whose members also serve anonymously, meets regularly to review files, narrow the list, and make final recommendations to the Foundation's board of directors. The number of fellows selected each year is not fixed; typically, it varies between 20 and 25.

For more information or to sign-up for MacArthur's e-newsletter, visit www.macfound.org.