Founded in 1902, the Carnegie Institution of Washington is a nonprofit organization that undertakes scientific research programs and discoveries. It operates through six research departments, including embryology, geophysical laboratory, global ecology, plant biology, terrestrial magnetism and the Observatories. The institution's researchers and scientists have received numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize and the Presidential Medal of Science. It organizes lectures, which are free and open to the public and can be sign interpreted for hearing-impaired individuals. Streaming and archived videos of the lectures are also available. The institution, through its office of publications, offers a variety of publications, online databases and downloadable books. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.