President Barack Obama awarded Mario Molina the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony Wednesday.
Alongside 15 others, the chemist earned what Obama called "the nation's top civilian honor" for his work uncovering how chemical pollutants called chlorofluorocarbons deplete Earth's ozone layer.
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"Today, inspired by his example, we're working to leave our planet safer and cleaner for future generations ," Obama said of Molina.
The well-decorated Molina also earned the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He currently works at the University of California at San Diego and serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Other notable 2013 Medal of Freedom recipients include Sally Ride, President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. An August White House release called Molina "a visionary chemist and environmental scientist."
Molina was born in Mexico City in 1943. He came to the United States in 1968 to pursue graduate studies in chemical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley.
"When I first chose the project to investigate the fate of chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere, it was simply out of scientific curiosity," Molina wrote in his Nobel Prize biography. "I am heartened and humbled that I was able to do something that not only contributed to our understanding of atmospheric chemistry, but also had a profound impact on the global environment."
This year marks the 50th anniversary since President John F. Kennedy first awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor.
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Image: Oliver Morin/AFP/Getty Images
BONUS: 10 Behind-the-Scenes Obama Photos
It's not often every single living president is in the same spot -- but they were for the dedication ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas this April.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
President Barack Obama takes in the famous Treasury at Petra, Jordan. Look familiar? You may also recognize it from the third Indiana Jones film, you big nerd.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama take in a dusk view of their Chicago hometown.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
"I was able to frame him walking into the light of the Diplomatic Reception Room, with the added bonus of his shadow being cast from the television lights off to the left."
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
Spider-Man catches President Barack Obama in his imaginary webbing last Halloween.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
Jimmy Fallon hopes for the best as his team shows President Barack Obama the plan for his "Slow Jam the News" segment.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
President Barack Obama takes a seat in the famous Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. before giving a speech.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
President Barack Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie toured the Hurricane Sandy-ravaged Jersey Shore in a bipartisan show of support for area residents months after the storm hit.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House
First lady Michelle Obama challenges Jimmy Fallon to a sack race.
Image: Flickr, Chuck Kennedy/The White House
President Barack Obama was photographed shooting clay targets during the summer of 2012.
Image: Flickr, Pete Souza/The White House