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Honors and Awards

Klaus Ruedenberg
Klaus Ruedenberg

Klaus Ruedenberg, an Ames Laboratory senior associate and an Iowa State University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, has been chosen to receive the prestigious American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry. Nominees for this honor must have accomplished "innovative research in the field of theoretical chemistry characterized by depth, originality, and scientific significance." His award states that he has seminally advanced many different, important facets of quantum chemistry, encompassing fundamental theory, formal mathematical developments, computational methods and software implementations, as well as conceptual interpretations. For more information, see the Ames Lab Insider


Mary Neu , Los Alamos National Laboratory, was invited to three international meetings to describe her work on the biological chelation and reduction of plutonium (Pu) in subsurface soil environments. The meetings of the Eighth International Conference on the Migration of Radionuclides in the Geosphere in Austria, the Actinides-2001 Conference in Japan, and the Gotenburg University in Germany were interested in Neu's work because it is critical to understanding the fate of radionuclides released to soil environments and to the development of new biotechnologies to migrate radionuclides at DOE sites. Her research is receiving much deserved national and international professional recognition. She has also been invited to speak at a new Gordon Conference on Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry in New Hampshire, and to organize a session for the 23rd Rare Earth Conference (to be held in California). She has also initiated a collaboration with the European Centre d'Energie Atomique. Neu's work is supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within DOE's Office of Science.


Neil Calder,from CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland, has accepted an offer from Stanford's Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) to become Director of the SLAC Office of Communications. Calder has had an illustrious career at CERN, first as instructor, then in communications and management. He is currently Head of Press and Publications where he runs both internal and external communications and all media relations for the world's largest physics institute. SLAC is supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences within DOE's Office of Science.


Kimberly Johnson-Miller, a New Brunswick laboratory scientist, was recently elected Vice President of the Chicago Metropolitan Chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). NOBCChE is a professional society of approximately 4,000 scientists, engineers, and other professionals dedicated to promoting the disciplines of chemistry and chemical engineering within the minority community. DOE, other government entities, Fortune 500 companies, and other private industries support the NOBCChE.


Awards and Honors to Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Edmund Synakowski and Randy Wilson, both physicists at the DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), recently received honors from the American Physical Society (APS). The APS gave Synakowskithe2001 Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research and named Wilson an APS Fellow during the Division of Plasma Physics meeting this fall in Long Beach, California.

Edmund Synakowski
Edmund Synakowski

Synakowski was cited for his contributions to experiments that demonstrated a novel means of suppressing turbulence and the loss of heat from plasmas — the hot, ionized gases used as fuels for the production of fusion energy. He led research on this subject at PPPL on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). These efforts led to joint research on this topic with physicists at General Atomics, in San Diego, California. He is one of four to receive the national award; the other three recipients are researchers in California. The award was established to recognize a particular recent outstanding achievement in plasma physics research and consists of $5000, which will be divided among the honorees.


Randy Wilson
Randy Wilson

Wilson was named an APS Fellow in recognition of his major pioneering contributions to understanding the use of radio-frequency waves to heat and drive an electric current in fusion plasmas. The honor is a lifetime appointment. The APS rules limit the maximum number of Fellows selected each year to be no more than half of one percent of the Division membership.

Larry Grisham
Larry Grisham

Larry Grisham, another scientist at the PPPL), received the Kaul Foundation Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics and Technology Development in recognition of his research contributions regarding the use of neutral beams for fusion applications. The award recognizes Grisham "for his distinguished contributions to the understanding and improvement of the first generation of high-power negative-ion-based neutral beams for fusion applications." In experimental fusion devices, a beam of neutral atoms is fired into hot, ionized fuel called plasma to increase the temperature for the production of fusion power.

Princeton University awards the Kaul Prize to recognize a recent outstanding technical achievement in plasma physics or technology development by a full-time, regular employee of PPPL. It includes a cash award of $2,000.

Allan Reiman and Douglas McCune are this year's PPPL Distinguished Research and Engineering Fellows, respectively.

Allan Reiman
Allan Reiman

Reiman, a physicist at PPPL, was cited for his numerous contributions in diverse topics in plasma physics, including the theory of three-dimensional plasmas found in fusion devices called stellarators, and for his leadership in developing innovative approaches to the stabilization of plasmas in the design of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment.

Douglas McCune
Douglas McCune

McCune, co-head of the Laboratory's Computational Plasma Physics Group, was honored for seminal contributions to computational plasma physics, particularly in the area of high-level data analysis in fusion experiments, and for his more recent work in establishing and leading the PPPL Computational Plasma Physics Group, which has been vital to the development of modern computational physics and collaborative data analysis capability for both PPPL and the Fusion Energy Science Community.

The Distinguished Research and Engineering Fellow Program, funded by DOE, was created to recognize members of the Laboratory's research and engineering and scientific staff for their accomplishments. Fellows receive one-time gifts of $5,000 and qualify for priority in regard to their research and engineering programs.

Jack Anderson
Jack Anderson

Jack Anderson recently received the DOE's Distinguished Associate Award. Anderson, head of PPPL's Environment, Safety & Health and Infrastructure Support Department, was recognized for his "significant contributions to the DOE's Safeguards and Security Directives Implementation Review Conference." Anderson was part of a six-member team that organized an assessment of the impacts of existing security and counterintelligence orders on the scientific and security environment at all of the DOE's facilities. The team concentrated on how to balance the need for new security and counterintelligence requirements with scientific freedom and progress. As part of the team, Anderson was involved in organizing the effort, which resulted in recommendations for improved integration of new security policies with science objectives. Anderson represented the DOE "National Laboratory Improvement Council," and teamed up with members from the DOE's Office of Science, Office of Counterintelligence, Environmental Management, Security and Emergency Operations, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. The team was aided in its efforts by 15 working groups comprised of DOE federal employees and contractor representatives from all of the DOE national laboratories.

Rob Goldston
Rob Goldston

Rob Goldston was awarded the Leadership Award for 2001 from the Fusion Power Associates (FPA) in recognition of his influence on the course and content of the national fusion program and his effectiveness in communicating the value of fusion research to the U.S. Congress. Goldston, Director of PPPL, is one of two recipients this year. The other is Ron Parker, former director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Plasma Fusion Center and former leader of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Co-center in Garching, Germany.

The citation for Goldston states, "You have provided forceful and effective guidance to a wide spectrum of fusion scientific topics and have helped put fusion back on the U.S. national political agenda." In addition to lauding Goldston's influence on the course of the national fusion program, the FPA Board noted his "outstanding leadership of the Laboratory."

FPA Awards are given annually for Leadership, Distinguished Career, and for Excellence in Fusion Engineering. Special Awards also are occasionally presented. Leadership awards have been presented annually since 1980 to individuals who have shown outstanding leadership qualities in accelerating the development of fusion. Other PPPL scientists to receive the FPA Leadership Award are Dale Meade (1999) and Harold Furth (1982).

PPPL, which is funded by the Office of Fusion Energy Science within DOE's Office of Science, and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source.



Nicholas Samios
Nicholas Samios

Nicholas Samios,a senior physicist and former director Brookhaven National Laboratory, has been named the 2001 recipient of the prestigious Bruno Pontecorvo Prize by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Moscow. The prize, awarded annually since 1995, recognizes "the most significant investigations in elementary particle physics," as acknowledged by the international scientific community.

The award recognizes Samios for his contributions both as a researcher in elementary particle physics, particularly neutrino physics, and as a scientific administrator. It will be presented at the 91st session of the JINR Scientific Council in Dubna on January 18, 2002, where Samios will deliver a talk on his work.

The JINR established the Bruno Pontecorvo Prize to commemorate prominent scientist and academician B. M. Pontecorvo. Pontecorvo, who is widely considered the father of experimental neutrino physics, was born in Italy in 1914 and participated in many ground-breaking physics experiments there, as well as in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Russia. He died in Dubna, Russia in 1993. Each year since 1995, the Pontecorvo Prize has been awarded, usually to an individual scientist, through a contest held by the JINR. Winners are given a certificate and a monetary award.

For more information about Dr. Samios, see the full news release at http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr121301a.htm


Bethe, Agnew — first recipients of Los Alamos National Laboratory Medal: Laboratory Director John Browne on Wednesday announced that Nobel Laureate Hans Bethe and former Laboratory Director Harold Agnew will receive the first-ever Los Alamos Medal, deemed "the highest honor the Laboratory can bestow on an individual or small group."

Hans Bethe
Hans Bethe

Bethe, who headed the Theoretical (T) Group at Los Alamos from 1943-1946, was selected for his role as "scientific visionary and leader, mentor and role model to the Laboratory from its inception," said Browne. In 1967, Bethe won the Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning energy production in stars. He is professor emeritus of physics at Cornell University.

Harold Agnew
Harold Agnew

Agnew, who was director of the Laboratory from 1970-1979, is cited "for leadership during the Laboratory's formative years and ascension to international stature." Agnew's association with the Laboratory began in 1943, when he joined the Laboratory's former Experimental Physics (W) Division. He was elected a state senator in 1955, and in 1961 became science adviser to the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe. He returned to Los Alamos in 1964 to head the former W Division. Upon leaving Los Alamos, Agnew headed Gulf General Atomics in San Diego, a nuclear reactor builder.

Nominees for the Los Alamos Medal are judged on selection criteria that include a contribution that changed the course of science, a major enhancement of the Laboratory's ability to accomplish its mission, a significant impact on Laboratory sustainability and establishment of a major direction for the Laboratory and the nation.


Thomas Tenforde, a senior chief scientist in process science and engineering, was chosen as the 2001 recipient of the d'Arsonval Award for lifetime achievement in the field of bioelectromagnetics. His career in this field spans 30 years, where he has been an international leader in research on the mechanisms of interaction and thresholds for biological effects associated with exposure to high-intensity static magnetic fields. The Bioelectromagnetics Society comprises more than 1,000 members worldwide. Tenforde received the award in June 2001 and was the seventh recipient of the award, which was issued first in 1985.



Novella Bridges
Novella Bridges

Novella Bridges, a research scientist in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's material resources organization, was recognized as a Rising Star in Technology at the 2001 Women of Color Government and Defense Technology Awards Conference. The conference recognizes contributions made by minority women working in the government in fields of science, engineering and technology. Bridges has worked at PNNL since January 2001 and earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from Louisiana State University in May.



Edmond Hui
Edmond Hui

Edmond Hui, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist whose research focuses on assessing radiation protection and dosimetry, received the 2001 Elda E. Anderson Award from the Health Physics Society. This award recognizes excellence in research or development as well as devotion and significant contributions to the field of health physics. Intended to honor young members of the society, the award is presented annually to a member under 40 years of age.

Hui was honored for his research in radiation dosimetry, microdosimetry, and the dosimetry of internally deposited radioactive materials. His research has national and international significance and has helped set new exposure standards widely used at all DOE facilities. He also developed federal guidelines on methods for dosimetry and radiation protection of unborn babies.


Shawn Knowles, a senior research scientist in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's energy and engineering technical resource group was named a 2002 Young Leader of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) in fall 2001. This national award, instituted in 1996, is presented annually to about 10 highly qualified individuals under age 35 to recognize their professional accomplishments in the materials field and prepare them for leadership roles within TMS.


The American Ceramic Society bestowed several major awards in 2001 on materials scientists supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and elevated four supported researchers to the rank of Fellow.

Yet-Ming Chiang (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) was a co-recipient of the Ross Coffin Purdy Award for the most valuable contribution to the ceramic technical literature; George W. Scherer (Princeton University) won the Brunauer Award for the best paper presented at the annual meeting; and C. Barry Carter (University of Minnesota) and his student received the Roland B. Snow Award for the best of show in the annual Ceramographic Competition.

Two other researchers who were formerly supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences also were honored: Richard C. Bradt (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa) received the John Jeppson Medal and Award recognizing distinguished scientific, technical, or engineering achievements in ceramics; and George Y. Onoda (Alfred University) was chosen for the Sosman Award and Lecture in recognition of outstanding achievement in basic science of an area that results in a significant impact to the field of ceramics.

Scientists supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences who were named Fellows of the American Ceramic Society included Kathleen B. Alexander (Los Alamos National Laboratory); Alastair Cormack (Alfred University); Rudiger Dieckmann (Cornell University); and Alexandra Navrotsky (University of California at Davis).


The National Academy of Engineering inducted 74 members and eight foreign associates who were elected earlier this year. Four researchers with present or past support from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences were among the honorees: Max G. Lagally (University of Wisconsin, Madison) was honored for contributions to surface science; Paul S. Peercy (University of Wisconsin, Madison) was cited for fundamental discoveries, new measurement techniques, and visionary leadership in materials research; Robert O. Ritchie (University of California at Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) was inducted for contributions to the understanding of fatigue fracture and the failure of engineering structures; and Gerald B. Stringfellow (University of Utah) was cited for leadership in the development of III/V semiconductor alloys.



Robert Siemann
Robert Siemann

Robert H. Siemann, professor in the Accelerator Physics Department B at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His certificate cites outstanding contributions to the theory of particle accelerators and pioneering service as founding editor of the electronic journal, Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams. The Division of High Energy Physics supports the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.



Sidney Drell
Sidney Drell

Sidney D. Drell, Professor Emeritus, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, received the 2001 Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award from the New York Academy of Sciences. The award was given for Drell's "sustained and extraordinary support of human rights of scientists throughout the world." The award specifically cites Drell's support of human rights for Soviet scientists, particularly Andrei Sakharov; his assistance to the American Physical Society in formulating a policy of cooperation with Chinese physicists; and his role in the campaign to release Professor Fang Li-Zhi from China.

Dr. Drell also received the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy Honoris Causa from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In awarding this degree the Institute recognizes Professor Drell's pioneering work on high-energy particle physics and the theories of radiation and relativistic quantum fields, his outstanding career as an educator, and the profound influence he has had on shaping his nation's policies on defense.


Graham Fleming, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Physical Biosciences Division and a professor of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley, has been awarded the 2002 Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy, given annually by the American Physical Society (APS). The award cites Fleming's "seminal work on chemical reaction dynamics in liquids and the dynamics of fundamental biological processes using femtosecond laser spectroscopy." Fleming's research concentrates on dynamical processes in liquids, solutions, and other complex systems, notably proteins. He and his colleagues are seeking to provide a molecular-level description of the role of solvents in chemical reactions, which they study on the ultra-short, femtosecond time scale. Their work has led to major advances in the understanding of photosynthetic process in plants and bacteria.


Carlos Bustamante, head of the Advanced Microscopies Department in the Physical Biosciences Division and a professor of biochemistry at University of California-Berkeley, has been awarded the American Physical Society's Biological Physics Prize. Presented biennially, the 2002 award cites Bustamante's pioneering work in single molecule biophysics and the elucidation of the forces involved in DNA replication and transcription." Bustamante, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, studies the mechanical properties of proteins and nucleic acids, including the structural bases of protein-DNA interactions and the dynamics of DNA-binding "molecular motors" such as enzymes. To this end, he and his colleagues develop and use a variety of tools and methods, many of them novel, including optical tweezers, magnetic beads, single-molecule fluorescence, and scanning force microscopy. Their observations have provided new insights into such mechanisms as the means by which viruses can inject their DNA into cells, and how genetic expression in cells may be regulated.



Doon Gibbs
Doon Gibbs

Doon Gibbs, Deputy Chair of BNL's Physics Department, has been selected as a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his "distinguished contributions to condensed matter physics using sophisticated and elegant X-ray scattering techniques." He conducts most of his research at BNL's National Synchrotron Light Source. The award will be presented at the 2002 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston on February 16, 2002. For more information, see Brookhaven News & Information: http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr110501.htm



James Reilly
James Reilly

James Reilly, a retired chemist who continues to participate in ground-breaking research at Brookhaven National Laboratory, has been awarded a 2002 Design and Engineering Award by Popular Mechanics Magazine for his work on developing a new metal alloy that promises to improve the performance of rechargeable batteries. The awards, given annually, honor innovation, invention, design, and engineering in five fields covered by the magazine. He and 16 other winners will be featured in the December issue of the magazine. For more information, see : http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr102501.htm



Ralph James
Ralph James

Ralph James, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy, Environment & National Security at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, has been named a Fellow of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), effective January 1, 2002. James was cited for "contributions to and leadership in the development of wide band-gap compound semiconductor devices used for detecting and imaging X- and gamma-ray radiation."

James has developed small, portable semiconductor-based radiation detectors that can detect both x-rays and gamma rays very efficiently. The devices can also identify isotopes responsible for the radiation. These detectors have many applications, from medical imaging to detecting the transport of nuclear materials to environmental cleanup. For more information, see Brookhaven's News & Information: http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr121401.htm



William Marciano
William Marciano

William Marciano, a theoretical physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, has been named a winner of the 2002 J.J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics by the American Physical Society (APS). Marciano will share the prize with longtime collaborator Alberto Sirlin of New York University. The award recognizes what APS described as the scientists' pioneering work on calculations that are needed to test the consistency of the Standard Model, the physics theory that seeks to explain interactions between all known particles. The award will be presented at an April 2002 meeting of the APS in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information, see Brookhaven's News & Information: http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr102301.htm


Professor Roland Winston, University of Chicago, received the Farrington Daniels Award from the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) for his outstanding intellectual leadership in renewable energy. Professor Winston has been responsible for developing and applying the science of non-imaging optics to engineering systems such as flat panel light emitting displays, microwave telescopes, and concentrating flat panel non-tracking solar collectors. His research effort that resulted in increasing solar collector efficiency from 49 percent to 73 percent will have significant implications for the viability of solar energy conversion devices. This award, presented once every two years, is the premier world award of the society. It was presented to Professor Winston at the ISES Solar World Congress in Adelaide, Australia, in November 2001. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences/Materials Sciences and Engineering Division supports Professor Winston's research.


Edward Yeung, Director of Ames Laboratory's Chemical and Biological Sciences Program, was inventor of one of three technologies selected from R&D Magazine's 2001 R&D 100 award winners for the prestigious Editors' Choice Award. The technology, which uses multiple capillaries, makes it possible to rapidly separate samples of complex chemical or biochemical mixtures.


Edward S. Yeung, Director of Ames Laboratory Chemical and Biological Sciences Program, received the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Chromatography. Klaus Ruedenberg, an Ames Laboratory Associate and Iowa State University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, has been given the ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry. The two Ames Laboratory scientists were recognized for their remarkable career achievements in chemistry and noteworthy contributions to their individual fields. For more information, see the Ames Lab news release: http://www.external.ameslab.gov/news/release/01acsawards.htm

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