Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy is chairman and professor at the department of physics at Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad, where he has taught for 36 years. He received a PhD in nuclear physics from MIT in 1978, and won the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics, the Baker Award for Electronics, and the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the popularization of science.
]]> His research interests lie in theoretical high energy physics. Dr. Hoodbhoy has spoken and written extensively for over 25 years against nuclear weapons in South Asia, produced a widely viewed documentary film "Pakistan and India Under The Nuclear Shadow", was a member of the Pugwash Council, and is a sponsor of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. As an advocate of the scientific method, he authored "Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality", now in seven languages. He was a post doctoral fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle and a visiting professor at MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland. As a film maker, Dr Hoodbhoy produced several documentary series for Pakistan Television aimed at popularizing science, and on analyzing the Pakistani education system. He heads a book publishing organization in Lahore focusing on modern thought and human rights.]]>It is his second award for his work on behalf of human rights of scientists. In 2006, he received the Heinz Pagels Award from the New York Academy of Sciences.
A grandson of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Professor Birman's involvement with repressed scientists began in the former Soviet Union when the government refused let to Jewish scientists emigrate. These scientists formed a group called the "refuseniks."
Professor Birman heard of their plight through the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS). Starting in 1974 he traveled to Moscow on "official business" as a co-organizer of a US-USSR Bi-national Symposium. During those visits he was able to get from his hotel to an apartment where refuseniks would meet for a weekly "Sunday Scientific Seminar in Moscow" to discuss their work.
At those encounters, Professor Birman developed a close kinship with the refuseniks and became determined to help them. "I recognized that had my grandparents not come to America 100 years earlier I could easily have been in their position instead," he explains.
Eventually, he made some 20 more trips to the former Soviet Union, conducting official business by day and meeting with dissidents by night. Because the scientists were not allowed to work or earn livelihoods, Professor Birman and other supporters would bring in electronic products that the scientists could sell on the black market to make enough money to eat. He made these trips knowing that the KGB, the Soviet Union's secret police, was watching him and could intercede at any time.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Professor Birman has supported persecuted scientists in several other countries. Currently, he is working to help Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kumar Alaei, two brothers who are medical doctors who have been imprisoned by Iran for trying to treat AIDS patients in rural areas.
His goal has been to put "pressure, noise, and a spotlight" on governments who repress scientists. He actively writes letters to heads of governments and has traveled the world assisting those in need. He serves on the Board of CCS and as an Honorary Board Member of Human Rights in China (HRIC). In addition, he is a former chair and present member of other groups such as the APS Committee on International Freedom of Scientists (CIFS), APS Forum on International Physics and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Committee on Professional Responsibility.
Some of the scientists Professor Birman has helped in the past have become independent research scholars, such as Distinguished Professor of Physics Eugene Chudnovsky of Lehman College and Professor Emeritus Andrei Weissman of The College of Staten Island. He has joint projects underway with colleagues in England, Israel, Cuba, and China, and was the chair of the Ph.D. committee at Nankai University for Dr. Jin Shuo, who is now a physics professor in Beijing. In addition, the APS/People's Republic of China Cooperative Physics Program in AMO (atomic, molecular and optical) and Condensed Matter Physics, which Professor Birman directed for its first three years, has brought 60 senior Chinese physicists to major U.S. laboratories for two-year research visits.
Professor Birman has taught physics and conducted scholarly research, including mentoring around 35 Ph.D. students, at CCNY since 1974, when he joined the faculty after 12 years as a Professor of Physics at New York University. His research specialty is theoretical physics, especially group theory and symmetry in condensed matter, light scattering mechanisms, and superconductivity and nanophysics of hybrid excitons.
A cum laude graduate of CCNY, Class of 1947, he received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1952, and was awarded the Docteur es Sciences, honoris causa, from the University de Rennes (France) in 1974. He has published more than 300 articles in refereed journals and written a monograph: "Theory of Crystal Space Groups and Lattice Dynamics."
To learn more about the Committee of Concerned Scientists and supporting human rights of repressed scientists, visit www.concernedscientists.org.
]]>Ooguri will be awarded the Nishina Memorial Prize for his work on topological string theory. Superstring theory is the only promising candidate for the ultimate unified theory of Einstein's general relativity and quantum mechanics. Topological string theory is obtained by simplifying superstring theory by a certain procedure. Ooguri and his collaborators established the foundation of topological string theory, developed its computational techniques, and discovered the relation between topological string theory and superstring theory. This made it possible for them to carry out superstring computation that had been regarded as impossibly difficult using existing techniques. Moreover he and his collaborators used topological string theory to provide deep insight into quantum states of black holes. Nishina Memorial Foundation called his achievements as extremely important in order to find out whether superstring theory can make predictions that can be tested by experiments at high energy accelerators.
Only 2 years after receiving his bachelor's degree in 1984, Ooguri was already accomplished
enough to be appointed as an Assistant Professor of University of Tokyo without Ph.D.. After spending a year at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, he became an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, where he shared a floor with the 2008 Nobel Laureate, Yoichiro Nambu. For 4 years he worked at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences at Kyoto University, and interacted with the most talented mathematicians from Japan and around the world. In 1994, he was appointed as one of the youngest full professors in history at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2000, he settled at Caltech, where John Schwarz started the string theory revolution back in 1984. Since Oct 2007, he also serves as a principal investigator of IPMU. He is widely regarded as one of the world leaders in string theory, in particular at the intersection of geometry and physics. In 2008, he shared the inaugural Leonardo Eisenbud Prize for Mathematics and Physics from the American Mathematical Society with Andrew Strominger and Cumrun Vafa. In 2009, he received the Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
"I was surprised to hear the news," says Ooguri. "It is a wonderful honor, and it is encouraging for those of us who are trying to develop new mathematics to understand the physics in the 21st century." He points out that the official description of the prize says that it is awarded to those in relatively young ages. "I think it means that the prize is not just in recognition of the past work, but it is an expectation for more to come. I hope to live up to the expectation by pursuing my work vigorously at IPMU." Hitoshi Murayama, Director of IPMU, remarks "I've always watched Hirosi with awe since my days as a graduate student when he was an Assistant Professor. This is a well-deserved prize to an obvious candidate who truly pushed the frontier at the interface of physics and mathematics, the central theme for IPMU. This is a happy day for all of us at IPMU."
Nishina Memorial Foundation: http://www.nishina-mf.or.jp/index_e.html
]]>College Park, Maryland, United States, October 29, 2009. The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the first AAPT J. D. Jackson Excellence in Graduate Education Award winner is Eugene Commins, physics professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. This award is given in recognition of contributions to graduate physics teaching and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students.
This prestigious award will be presented to Commins at a Ceremonial Session of the AAPT Winter Meeting at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC, on Monday, February 15, 2010.
Warren Hein, AAPT Executive Officer noted, "It is a great honor to recognize an educator with such a distinguished career as the first recipient of the J. D. Jackson Award. Dr. Commins sets the standard for graduate physics around the world."
Commins earned his BA with Honors in Mathematics and Physics at Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. in Physics at Columbia University, New York, N.Y. He began his teaching career at Columbia University before moving to the University of California Berkeley in 1960.
Frances Hellman, Chair of the Department of Physics at University of California, Berkley said, "Eugene has been one of the pillars of the Berkeley Physics department for several decades. Over this period, he has taught and educated generations of physicists, many of whom have gone on to sterling careers in their own right: our current Energy Secretary, Nobel Laureate Steve Chu, is an outstanding example of a student who was taught and mentored by Eugene! But, by far, the biggest impact that Eugene has had is on the broad spectrum of graduate students from across the country and around the world."
Lila Adair, Awards Committee Chair, said that there were several reasons Commins was selected. "His nomination recognizes Eugene as a superb and dedicated teacher whose scientific brilliance is complemented by a great work ethic and dedication to the profession of teaching. His students are exuberant in their praise for his lectures, lecture notes, and concern for the students. He is an example of a great mentor. Many extremely distinguished scientists took classes from him, got their PhD's working with him, and speak passionately about him to their colleagues."
This award recognizes that great teaching CAN be done and should be expected of great scientists at leading institutions, not only from people whose primary or entire focus is on teaching.
Regarding his recognition as recipient of the First J.D. Jackson Excellence in Graduate Education Award, Commins said, "I am very grateful and honored to receive the J.D. Jackson Award, all the more so because it bears the name of a most highly esteemed friend and colleague, J.D. Jackson. He is a truly distinguished scholar and teacher, and if his name were not on the award, he would be first on my list of those who deserve to receive it."
About the Award
Named in honor of outstanding physicist and teacher, J. D. Jackson, this award recognizes physicists and physics educators who, like John David Jackson, have made outstanding contributions to curriculum development, mentorship, or classroom teaching in graduate physics education.
About AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.
For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org.
College Park, Maryland, United States, October 29, 2009. The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that The Melba Newell Phillips Medal has been awarded to Mary Beth Monroe, Professor of Physics at Southwest Texas Junior College, in recognition of her creative leadership and dedicated service that have resulted in exceptional contributions within AAPT.
The Medal will be presented to at a Ceremonial Session of the AAPT Winter Meeting at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC, on Monday, February 15, 2010.
Lila Adair, Chairman, AAPT Awards Committee, said, "Mary Beth is an amazing lady. She has dedicated her entire career to sharing her passion for physics and AAPT with her students, colleagues and fellow AAPT members. She is one of the few experts I turn to for the institutional history of AAPT, and I am so proud to be presenting the Phillips Medal to her."
As a long time AAPT member, Monroe has quietly and tenaciously served the organization at the state and national level for more than three decades. She served as AAPT Secretary and Chair of the Publications Committee from 2001-2007 and is currently serving as a member of the Committee on the Interests of Senior Physicists and as Chair of the Governance Review Committee. She has played a leading role in developing networks among physicists teaching in Two Year Colleges that have led both to their increasing involvement in AAPT and to better teaching for the students who study physics in these schools
"The Melba Newell Phillips Medal is AAPT's highest recognition for member leadership and service. Mary Beth personifies these qualities through her continuing role as a leader in our organization and in the Two Year College community," stated Warren Hein, AAPT's Executive Officer.
Monroe received her B.S. degree in physics from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, and her M.S. in Physics (research field, plasma physics) with a double minor in Junior College Teaching (HEW intern) and Math, 1973. She is a dedicated proponent of quality physics education in Two Year and Community Colleges. She served on the AAPT Executive Board as Member-at-Large Representing Two Year Colleges and as a member of the Committee on Physics in the Two Year College. Additionally, she served as Principal Investigator and Project Director for TYC21 and as Co Principal Investigator for Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics at Two Year Colleges from 2002-2005.
Regarding the award, Monroe stated, "I was stunned when I received word from the AAPT Awards Committee that I had been selected to receive the esteemed Melba Newell Phillips Medal! Melba was responsible for me attending my first AAPT national meeting in 1977 and she used her influence to help place me on some AAPT committees in my first years with the Association. She impressed upon me that I had a responsibility not only to my students, but also beyond my classroom to the physics education community. The AAPT has provided me ample opportunities to fulfill both. Therefore this award, which embodies the ideals that Melba had for physics education and AAPT, has a special significance for me. I am honored and humbled by this recognition."
About the Award
The Melba Newell Phillips Medal honors Melba Phillips for her leadership and dedicated service to physics education. She was the first woman President of the AAPT and a founder of the Federation of American Scientists. Professor Phillips' research was in nuclear physics, and she served on the faculty of Brooklyn College and the University of Chicago. She was a champion of physics education throughout her life. This Award is given only occasionally to subsequent AAPT leaders who display similar achievements and exceptional contributions. The first recipient of the Award was Melba Phillips herself (Emeritus, University of Chicago), in January 1982.
The previous medal recipients include Clifford Swartz, Judy R. Franz, Robert B. Clark, H. Richard Crane, and E. Leonard Jossem. The complete list of winners can be found at http://www.aapt.org/Grants/phillips.cfm.
About AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.
For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org.
"Parney is extremely well qualified to assume responsibility for Global Security, an area of critical importance to our Laboratory as well as the country," Miller said. "He is internationally recognized for his homeland and national security acumen."
Albright has more than 20 years of experience in national security, holding positions in the federal government, federally funded research and development centers and the private sector. His responsibilities have ranged from research and development to conducting studies and analyses and senior leadership. He has worked in programs to counter terrorism, protect against weapons of mass destruction, protect U.S. borders, and perform systems analysis of space systems and ballistic and cruise missile defense systems.
Prior to joining the Lab Albright was at Civitas Group, a homeland security consulting group in Washington, DC. He served as an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security; Assistant Director in the Office of Science and Technology Policy; Senior Director in the Office of Homeland Security in the White House, and Program Manager with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Throughout his career he has served in a number of capacities, from a scientist designing and executing an experiment carried out by the crew of the space shuttle to developer and manager of programs associated with special operations, intelligence collection, molecular biology, and maritime operations; and as the leader of the team that created the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, developing its enabling legislation, organizational construct, multi-year strategic planning guidance, and ultimately overseeing budget execution.
Albright has extensive experience with interagency and congressional interactions, and was a frequent spokesperson for both the White House and DHS to the press on issues associated with science, technology, and weapons of mass destruction.
Albright has a bachelor's degree in physics and applied mathematics from George Washington University, and a master's and PhD in physics from the University of Maryland.
"With his educational background and broad experience, Parney has demonstrated wide-ranging managerial and scientific capabilities and knowledge that will be essential in effectively managing the wide range of functional areas in Global Security," Miller said. "I have confidence that he will enable the Global Security organization to continue to apply multi-disciplinary science and technology to anticipate, innovate and deliver responsive solutions to complex global security needs."
Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (www.llnl.gov) is a national security laboratory that develops science and engineering technology and provides innovative solutions to our nation's most important challenges. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
]]>"These distinguished scientists were chosen as 2009 Laboratory Fellows based on a very rigorous peer review process and honored for their considerable scientific accomplishments," said Terry Wallace, principal associate director for Science, Technology, and Engineering. "I am pleased to have such a distinguished class of Fellows for 2009 that reflects the diversity of top-notch scientific talent at Los Alamos National Laboratory."
Fellows play a continuing role in helping maintain the scientific excellence of the Laboratory. Fellows are often asked by the Laboratory director to assess issues and provide advice. As recognized leaders, Fellows are advocates for the continuing conduct of science at the Laboratory.
Toni Tayor leads the Laboratory's Materials Physics and Applications Division and is a pioneer in electromagnetic metamaterials as well as terahertz science and technology, and in applying coherent control techniques to ultrafast optics, which provide unique insight into condensed-matter physics. Taylor has made key contributions in the exploration of fundamental properties of superconductors through ultrafast techniques; made key demonstrations of exquisite control of phase and amplitude in ultrafast pulses leading to coherent control of propagation in fibers; and has contributed to novel metamaterial concepts leading to devices with unique dielectric properties. She has written or cowritten 250 publications, wrote two book chapters, edited three books,and has mentored 32 postdoctoral researchers. Taylor is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Optical Society of America.
Stephen Becker of the Laboratory's Applied Physics Division conducts research in astrophysics, weapons design, and intelligence assessment. His work has received nearly 1,200 citations. Becker has participated in several nuclear tests, leading the design effort on four. His understanding of thermonuclear weapons design and interpretation of radiochemical diagnostics is recognized by colleagues nationally and internationally. Becker has made major contributions to the Stockpile Stewardship program and has had a major impact on his scientific field through analysis of nuclear deterrence. He has advised both Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national labs on the complexities of the aging nuclear stockpile.
Lowell Brown of the Methods and Algorithms Group in the Applied Physics Division has made many contributions to physics, from quantum field theory, particle and nuclear physics, gravitation, and astrophysics, to cold atom traps and fully ionized plasmas. His research has spanned an era from the rise of ion beam science to current breakthroughs in nanoscience. Brown has 118 publications (7,049 citations) and his textbook on quantum field theory is quickly becoming a classic. He is an American Physical Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, was the editor in chief of Physical Review D, and was on the executive committee of the APS Division of Particles and Fields. He was a National Science Foundation postdoc, and a Guggenheim Fellow at CERN.
Patrick Colestock is leader in applied plasma physics for accelerator applications and trans-ionospheric sensing of the Laboratory's Space and Remote Sensing Group. He is an expert in basic and applied plasma physics, and the physics of intense charged-particle beams. Among his scientific accomplishments, he has made pioneering contributions to the historic cyclotron resonance heating experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and the Princeton Large Torus. He also helped optimize the performance of the Main Ring and Tevatron at Fermilab. He has 169 publications (4,363 citations). Colestock has testified before Congress on the future of fusion reactors and has served on several technical review panels of the National Science Foundation and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Samuel "Tom" Picraux is chief scientist of the Laboratory's Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies. Picraux is known internationally for use of energetic ion beams for the characterization of materials, as well as for his advances in surface processing and epitaxy. Using his quantitative ion beam analysis developments, Picraux and his group pioneered the use of surface probes of the plasma edge to diagnose conditions in the U.S. and European tokamak experiments in fusion energy. Picraux and his colleagues pioneered the field of ion implantation metallurgy, creating a standard process for fabrication in the semiconductor industry.
A 1990 E.O. Lawrence Award recipient for his developments in ion-challenging and related ion-beam techniques for materials characterization, Picraux has more than 250 publications (6,500 citations). He coauthored one book and edited six others. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, American Academy for the Advancement of Science, and the Materials Research Society.
About Los Alamos National Laboratory (www.lanl.gov)
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.
College Park, Maryland, November 2, 2009 -- During their fall meeting, members of the AAPT Executive Board developed and adopted an official statement endorsing research experiences for undergraduates.
Rationale:
Research in the real world involves the intense and often exhilarating experience of studying nature, learning some new things, and then bouncing that knowledge off fellow workers within your discipline to see if they agree. Richard Feynman likened this to cooperatively observing a chess game without knowing the rules - and gradually learning and celebrating a few of those beautiful rules and the evolving simplicity that should make up physics.
Whether in basic or applied sciences, every undergraduate physics major depends on such an experience to mature toward an investigative state-of-mind and self-confidence that will serve them well in their next professional endeavor. While often learning new experimental, theoretical, or analytical skills, they will also experience the very human frustrations, successes, serendipity, and late nights that can take science totally out of the classroom and into the fabric of their lives. Whether in a graduate school application or a job interview, they will have stories to tell about when they really helped figure something out.
Research experiences will necessarily take on different forms depending on the interests and goals of the student and on the resources and capabilities of their department and may begin early or late during the undergraduate years. Thus undergraduate research will not always involve sophisticated equipment or methodology, but it should be both meaningful and appropriate for the student and situation. On-campus faculty-mentored projects, participation in research at NSF-funded REU sites, research opportunities at national and corporate laboratories, and research opportunities provided through other federal agencies and private foundations should be strategically utilized to meet the needs of our students and departments.
About AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.
For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org.
Feature Articles: Josh Fuchs | Gabriel Caceres | ICPS Photos | SPS Program Info
]]>Commenting on today's news, QinetiQ's Chairman, Sir John Chisholm said "I would like to thank Graham not only for his leadership over the last four successful years as Chief Executive Officer, but also for the part he has played in QinetiQ's creation from the time he joined as Chief Financial Officer of the Defence Research Agency in 1992. Graham has played a key role in QinetiQ's success to date and particularly its expansion into North America, which is now a significant part of the Group. On behalf of the Board I would like to wish him every success for the future. "
"Back in June 2009 we announced that Mark Elliott will succeed me as Chairman at our next AGM as QinetiQ moves into the next stage of its evolution. Both Mark and I welcome Leo to the company. He has an excellent leadership record with customers, employees and investors. The Board looks forward to working with Leo to further accelerate the success and growth of the Group."
Commenting on his departure Graham Love said; "I am delighted to have played a role in the evolution of a great company, and privileged to have worked with an outstanding group of colleagues. QinetiQ has tremendous opportunities ahead of it and I wish the team every success as its journey continues."
Aimee Gibbons, OSA Membership Director, noted that "senior membership is an important addition to the OSA membership portfolio because it enables us to formally recognize the professional accomplishments and experience of individuals who have contributed to their field at a senior level for ten or more years. We're look forward to receiving requests for this new member designation and to welcoming our first round of successful candidates later this year."
In addition to receiving OSA Individual Member benefits, senior member designees also receive:
* Special Recognitions — Senior Members are identified in the OSA Member Directory, on OSA.org and during OSA-hosted events.
* Announcements — Newly approved Senior Members are announced in: Optics & Photonics News, the OSA e-newsletter, a press release, and on technical division news sites.
* Senior Member Certificate and Lapel Pin — Distributed upon application approval.
* Letter of Commendation — Approved Senior Members may elect to have a confirmation letter sent to their employer.
Requests are reviewed twice a year (deadlines: May 1, 2010 and November 1, 2010) by the Membership and Education Services Council. Individuals must complete a request form (available online and in print) and are encouraged to provide the following information:
* Academic history
* Description of current occupation
* Two OSA member references
* An employer reference (optional)
* Professional experience/service descriptions
Individuals who meet the qualification criteria are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit www.osa.org/membership/categories/senior/default.aspx or contact the OSA Membership Department (Tel: +1 202.416.1431 or email: agibbo@osa.org).
About OSA
Uniting more than 106,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.
]]>During his tenure at LLNL, Dr. Davis and his team built the most advanced and widely used accelerator mass spectrometry lab in the world. Dr. Davis has authored more than 80 publications and has been granted numerous patents. He participated in two UN weapons inspections of Iraq in 1991, and briefed the UN Security Council on his findings. For his contributions to national security as founding Director of the DTRA, he was twice awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Department of Defense's highest civilian award. Dr. Davis has also served on the Board of ANSER Corporation, as chair of the review committee for the Los Alamos nuclear weapons program, and as a member of the University of Chicago Board of Governors for Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Davis received his BA in Physics from the University of Texas (1963), his MA in Physics from the University of Texas (1964), and his PhD in Physics from the University of Wisconsin (1969). He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
"Jay Davis's diverse talents are well suited for the challenge of identifying and cultivating the innovative minds who receive Hertz Foundation Fellowships and of managing this important organization," stated David J. Galas, PhD, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hertz Foundation. "Jay's leadership will undoubtedly build on the legacy of Hertz Fellows who provide our nation's businesses, its government and its academic institutions with many of the country's top talent from the applied sciences and engineering fields."
Elected on Thursday, October 23rd by the Board of Directors of the Hertz Foundation, Dr. Davis succeeds John F. Holzrichter, PhD, who retired from the position of President to which he was first elected in 1999. Dr. Holzrichter will remain active building partnerships with business, government and educational institutions.
"John Holzrichter's leadership skills helped the Hertz Foundation successfully navigate a transition from a private foundation to a public charity over the last decade. We are better positioned as a Foundation today than we were in 1999," stated John C. Browne, PhD, a member of the Board of Directors of the Hertz Foundation. "Thanks to John's efforts, we have created a more vibrant community of current and past Fellows, raised new monies to support our future efforts, and developed strategic plans that will guide us in years to come."
"John Holzrichter successfully guided the Hertz Foundation through the most difficult decade in its history and built a new, dynamic entity in the process. His fund raising activities have yielded millions of dollars in funding for the Foundation and they have established a structure for continued charitable support," stated Richard B. Miles, PhD, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hertz Foundation.
ABOUT THE HERTZ FOUNDATION
The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation is one of the nation's leading non-profit organizations focused on empowering innovative young scientists and engineers. Since 1963, the Hertz Foundation has identified over 1,095 promising applied scientists and engineers with the potential to change the world for the better and has supported their doctoral research by providing the nation's most generous applied science and engineering PhD Fellowships. Valued at over $250,000, Hertz Fellowships are unique no-strings-attached fellowships allowing exceptional applied scientists and engineers the freedom to pursue their own ideas with financial independence under the guidance of the finest professors at the country's top universities. The highly competitive selection process includes a comprehensive application, four references, and two rounds of exacting interviews by recognized leaders in applied science and engineering. More information on the Hertz Foundation can be found at www.hertzfoundation.org.
]]>Street's pioneering work at PARC in the early 1990s led to the development of flat-panel digital X-ray detectors, a commercially-available technology that has replaced traditional film X-ray machines for many medical applications.
The secret to Street's flat-panel digital X-ray detector is a dense glass-like material known as amorphous silicon that can be vacuum deposited onto surfaces and formed into electronic devices. Today, it is a standard material used in the manufacture of $100 billion dollars worth of electronics sold each year — devices like laptop displays and flat panel TV sets.
In the 1980s, the material was just starting to find its way into electronics, and Street spent much of that decade studying the basic properties of this material. In the mid-1980s, a PARC team designed a new sensor array for a photocopier and printer based on amorphous silicon.
Street soon realized that a similar sensor array using the same material might be able to detect X-rays and capture images of the human body completely electronically. By the early 1990s, he and his colleagues had worked out many of the technological hurdles necessary to do so.
"We went ahead and made the first X-ray imaging device," Street says. He recalls that he never doubted whether such a detector could be built. The only question was whether the device would be effective in a clinical setting, and could be manufactured with the reliability needed for a medical device.
Early tests showed promise, and in 1996, PARC spun off a start-up company called dpiX, Inc. that began commercializing this digital X-ray technology, which has since become a large and growing segment of the medical imaging industry.
To take just a single example of how digital X-ray technology is impacting medicine, about half of all mammography systems in the United States today are digital — up from about a third just a year ago. This growth has come in part because the results of a large study comparing digital with film mammography involving 50,000 women showed in 2005 that the diagnostic accuracy of digital is just as good as film overall.
Though digital systems tend to be more expensive, they offer significant advantages in terms of image quality and electronic storage and manipulation. Moreover, digital systems have proven more accurate at diagnosing breast cancer in women under the age of 50, women with dense breasts, and premenopausal or perimenopausal women.
Born and raised in Birmingham, England, Robert Street received a Ph.D. in 1971 from Cambridge University for work on the physics of chalcogenide glasses. He was a postdoc at Sheffield University, and then a visiting scientist to the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. He joined PARC in 1976, where he is now a Senior Research Fellow. He is also a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Materials Research Society.
His current research explores finding novel low-cost and large-area electronics for applications ranging from new flat panel displays to radiation sensors. Projects he has been involved with in recent years include ink-jet printing of organic electronic devices, constructing flexible electronic displays, developing technology for truck-size scanners for homeland security, and researching new solar cell structures. As of 2009, Street is the author of about 400 papers, several books and book chapters, and 60 patents.
Street and his wife live in Palo Alto, CA. They have two grown children and one grandchild.
He will receive his prize at an awards ceremony and reception beginning at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 in Ballrooms A2-7 of the San Jose Convention Center. The ceremony is part of the AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition, which convenes from November 8-13 in San Jose, CA. See: http://www2.avs.org/symposium/
ABOUT THE PRIZE
Established in 1977, the Prize for Industrial Applications of Physics recognizes outstanding contributions by an individual or individuals to the industrial applications of physics. The American Institute of Physics (AIP) Corporate Associates and the American Physical Society (APS) alternate in co-sponsoring this $10,000 award with General Motors. Where the AIP award recognizes scientists who have developed proven technologies, the APS award recognizes research that has excellent potential for future success. For more information, see: http://www.aip.org/industry/prize/
ABOUT AIP
The American Institute of Physics is a federation of 10 physical science societies representing more than 135,000 scientists, engineers, and educators and is one of the world's largest publishers of scientific information in physics. Offering full-solution publishing services for scientific societies and for similar organizations in science and engineering, AIP pursues innovation in scholarly journal publishing. AIP publishes 12 journals (some of which are the most highly cited in their respective fields); two magazines, including its flagship publication Physics Today; and the AIP Conference Proceedings. Its online publishing platform Scitation hosts nearly two million articles from more than 185 scholarly journals and other publications of 28 learned society publishers. See: http://www.aip.org .
]]>As project technical director, Prudom will create and lead an Overall Program Integrated Project Team that will oversee and direct technical activities across the Piketon, Ohio, and Oak Ridge, Tenn., sites. In addition, he will develop integrated processes for control of engineering activities across the project such as configuration control of the plant and the centrifuge machines.
Prudom worked for more than 30 years in the Naval Reactors Program operated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy, including 20 years as director of the Nuclear Components Division, where he was responsible for all aspects of nuclear components needed to meet the Navy's needs. He has worked with USEC on the American Centrifuge Project since 2005. Prudom holds both a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in engineering from the University of Louisville.
USEC Inc., a global energy company, is a leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
]]>The award and $300,000 grant recognizes Dr. O'Sullivan's contributions to astronomy and to the invention which made wireless computing fast and reliable.
Then in 1992, he and his colleagues at CSIRO realized that the same technology was the key to fast reliable wireless networking in the office and home.
Their patented invention is now built into international standards and into computers, printers, smart phones and other devices used by hundreds of millions of people every day.
It's one of the most significant achievements in CSIRO's 83 year history and illustrates how blue sky research can have very practical outcomes.
Professor O'Sullivan is now working on the design of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope — a step towards the giant Square Kilometre Array which will be able to look back 13 billion years, almost to the Big Bang.
The citation for Dr. O'Sullivan is available online at www.scienceinpublic.com.au along with photos and further background.
information.