Gordon Earle Moore is an American businessman, co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Intel Corporation, and the author of Moore's law. He was born on January 3, 1929 in San Francisco, California, United States. Moore studied chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley, and in 1954 he received a Ph.D. in chemistry and physics from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. After graduation, Moore joined the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Laurel, Maryland, where he examined the physical chemistry of solid rocket propellants used by the U.S. Navy in antiaircraft missiles. Moore soon decided that private industry offered more exciting research with greater potential rewards. In 2001, Moore received the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to progress in chemistry and science. Moore is also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, as of 2002. He received the award from President George W. Bush. In 2002, Moore also received the Bower Award for Business Leadership.