Energy Department Early Career Scientists and Engineers Honored

May 4, 2004

Note: The following is a news released issued by the Department of Energy.

WASHINGTON, DC — At a White House ceremony today, seven researchers funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were honored for their work ranging from understanding stellar explosions to the mechanics of biological tissues.

The researchers are among 58 researchers supported by 11 federal agencies who received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The Presidential award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers. Each Presidential award winner received a citation, a plaque and a commitment for continued funding of their work from their agency for five years. Dr. John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, presented the awards.

Before the White House ceremony, the seven researchers described their work at a ceremony at DOE headquarters hosted by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham.

"Each of these researchers has made a distinctive contribution both as an independent investigator and as a team member," Secretary Abraham said. "Individually and collectively, they continue to be sources of invaluable technical direction and expertise in support of the department's research and development and national security missions."

At the DOE event, five of the scientists from DOE national laboratories received the DOE_s Office of Science Early Career Scientist and Engineer Award. The winners are:

Jeffery Blackmon, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn., for his use of radioactive beams to understand how stars explode;

Edmond Chow, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif., for his contributions to the field of computational science, including achievements in the area of scalable numerical algorithms;

Sergei Maslov, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y., for his contributions to the physics of complex systems, with applications ranging from cellular biology to the Internet and economics;

Jonathan E. Menard, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, N.J. for performing studies to optimize the stability of fusion plasmas and providing the heart of the physics basis for a new, spherical fusion plasma reactor; and

Christine Orme, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for her work on understanding the physical mechanisms of biomineralization and developing methods to investigate mineralization at the nanoscale.

At the same time, two university researchers received the Office of Defense Programs Early Career Scientist and Engineer Award. The directors of the national weapons laboratories nominated the recipients in recognition of their work in support of the administration_s national security mission.

The winners are:

Carl Boehlert, Alfred University, Alfred, N.Y., for research into structural intermetallics and metal matrix composites; and

Krishnakumar Garikipati, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., for efficient numerical solutions of non-local models of solids. His research interests include phenomena involving mechanics in semiconductor/microelectronic materials and biological tissues.

Biographical information on the winners and their award citations are available at www.sc.doe.gov.

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