In his remarks at the award ceremonies throughout his 48 year involvement in them, Dr. Arthur S. Flemming always thanked the honorees for "going the extra mile in service to their country."

The Flemming alumni include many whose names are well-known.  To name a few, past award recipients include Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Paul Volcker, Jr., John Chancellor, Neil Armstrong, Mary Elizabeth Hanford (now Elizabeth Dole), Robert Gates, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and William Phillips (Nobel laureate in 1997).

We invite you to read through our complete listing of winners from 1948 to 2011, which is provided below.

2011 Award Recipients

2010 Award Recipients

Standing from left to right: Dr. Kathryn Newcomer (Arthur S. Flemming Commission), Dr. Phillip E. Castle, Dr. Anthony G. Wilhelm, Major Gabriel S. Hiley, Dr. Ian B. Spielman, Glenn T. Donovan, Dr. Steven Knapp, Dr. Kenneth R. Knapp, Dr. Timothy J. Bunning, Dr. Christopher L. Soles, Erich H. Strassner, Dr. Scott A. Diddams, Peter Williams (President, Arthur S. Flemming Commission)

Seated from left to right: Renee L. Camacho, Lisa M. Blumerman, Kelly M. Lawson

The 2010 Flemming Award recipients:

Ms. Lisa Blumerman, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau

Dr. Timothy Bunning, United States Air Force

Ms. Renee Camacho, U.S. Department of Justice

Dr. Philip Castle, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

Dr. Scott Diddams, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Mr. Glenn Donovan, United States Navy, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division

Major Gabriel Hiley, United States Air Force

Dr. Kenneth Knapp, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Ms. Kelly Lawson, U.S. Department of Labor

Dr. Ian Spielman, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dr. Christopher Soles, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Mr. Erich Strassner, U.S. Department of Commerce

Dr. Anthony Wilhelm, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration

2009 Award Recipients

Back row from left to right: Dr. Marla Dowell, Dr. Dietrich Leibfried, Dr. Steven Brown, Dr. Eite Tiesinga, Dr. John Kitching, Kana Enomoto, Dr. Shyam Sharan; Front row from left to right: Angela Clowers, Dr. Lynn Antonelli, Dr. Kathryn Newcomer - Flemming Commission, Peter Williams - President, Flemming Commission; Dr. William Phillips - Keynote Speaker, Flemming Award Recipient, 1987 and Nobel Laureate, 1997; Natalie Harrop Photo Courtesy of Dave Scavone

MANAGERIAL OR LEGAL ACHIEVEMENT

ANGELA N. CLOWERS
U.S. General Accountability Office

For her exceptional leadership as an Acting Director at the Government Accountability Office(GAO) in Washington DC. Ms. Clowers demonstrated innovative approaches in GAO’s work responding to the economic crisis by assembling high-functioning teams to produce real-time, high-quality, objective analyses to support congressional oversight. For example, she led GAO’s reviews of the federal government’s efforts to assist the domestic auto industry under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Her work clarified the purpose and extent of the federal commitment and recommended changes likely to improve oversight of the government’s investments and protect the taxpayers’ interests. Ms. Clowers led GAO’s efforts to analyze transportation investments included in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, providing frequent progress reports and testimony to the Congress. These efforts prompted mid-course corrections by the Department of Transportation to target investments in ways most likely to stimulate the economy. Ms. Clowers outstanding work has enabled GAO to provide valuable, timely and targeted advice on the federal government’s efforts to address the economic crisis.

DR. MARLA DOWELL
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce
For her sustained exceptional leadership as a supervisory physicist of a world-leading laser metrology program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce in Boulder Colorado. Dr. Dowell leads the most comprehensive program in laser metrology of any national measurement institute in the world. Her excellent people management skills and her outstanding breadth of technical expertise have transformed NIST’s national measurement program in laser metrology and standards into an extremely effective, customer focused provider of world-leading measurement services. Dr. Dowell’s team has accelerated development of a new class of test equipment, provided measurement traceability to the semiconductor manufacturing industry with best-in-the-world accuracy for ultraviolet laser instruments, and enabled highpower laser calibrations for critical US defense programs with unique detector designs and coatings, among other accomplishments. Under her leadership her team’s success has improved greatly in all areas. In addition, Dr. Dowell serves the technical and wider communities in improvement of laser safety, documentary standards, the work environment, as well as the education of a future generation of scientists and engineers.

KANA ENOMOTO
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
For her leadership as a principal senior adviser in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services in Rockville, Maryland. Ms. Enomoto is a versatile, innovative and thoughtful federal leader with expertise spanning policy, program and administration. During her distinguished federal career, she has served as a Managing Editor of the seminal 2001 Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity and was a critical member of teams that produced White House Commission and Federal Reports on mental health. She served with distinction as a leader during the DHHS Hurricane Katrina response and recovery efforts. She was the Senior Policy Advisor to three Senate-confirmed presidential appointees and leads the agency’s portfolio on women and girls. More recently, as the Acting Deputy Administrator for the $3.4 billion DHHS public health agency, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Ms. Enomoto spearheaded efforts leading to measurable improvements in agency operations, human capital management and myriad management processes. In addition to her exemplary performance at work, Ms. Enomoto has made significant contributions to her community and profession.

NATALIE HARROP
US Air Force 748th, Supply Chain Management Wing, Air Force Global Logistics Center
For her distinguished service as a lead budget analyst in the US Air Force 748th, Supply Chain Management Group, 448th, Supply Chain Management Wing, Air Force Global Logistics Center at Hill AFB in Utah. During the 3 year period ending in December 2009, Ms. Harrop combined her extensive financial knowledge with her unique understanding of relational databases and web-based technologies to develop key systems which have revolutionized financial management within the Group. From the dramatic improvements in identification of available funding through systematic scrutiny of un-expensed obligations to proactive identification of payroll errors and enhanced financial reporting, Ms. Harrop has designed and executed software solutions, which have had positive impact on financial management for the organization. Specifically her efforts lead to key achievements including standardizing analytical processes across the Group and Wing, proactively preventing errors in the payroll system and creating a collaborative environment to maximize the positive impact of the logistics community. The success of Ms. Harrop’s initiatives has extended beyond the Group and is now being implemented across the Wing. The successful execution of her vision has not only saved hundreds of man-hours but has also enabled the recovery of over $5 million in available funding for reutilization in support of the warfighter.

APPLIED SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

DR. LYNN T. ANTONELLI
US Navy, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Vision
For her ground-breaking work as an electrical engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, US Navy in Newport, Rhode Island. Dr. Antonelli has performed innovative work in stand-off, laser-based sensor devices, optical systems and acousto-optic sensing. With her superior grasp of physics and engineering and advanced technical skills in optics, acoustics and signal processing, she has an impressive ability to achieve real-world solutions that expand the state-of-the-art. Dr. Antonelli has demonstrated investigative skills that make her a valuable asset to Division Newport, the US Navy and the nation. Her pioneering work in the use of laser-based, acoustooptic sonar for remote detection of sound for a variety of naval, medical and commercial applications has earned her international recognition. With her intellectual curiosity, technical expertise and generous collaborative approach, Dr. Antonelli has made great strides in the advancement of ocean optics and remote sensing research. Her efforts have enabled acoustic sensing beyond the realm of traditional acoustic transducers and will have a lasting and positive impact on US Navy warfighters.

DR. STEVEN W. BROWN
National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce
For his revolutionary work as a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Dr. Brown is recognized for major advances in light measurement and its applications to the environmental remote sensing of the earth. These advances include co-development of an innovative, laser-based facility for the high-accuracy calibration and characterization of optical radiation sensors. This facility is Spectral Irradiance and Radiance Calibrations using Uniform Sources—otherwise known as SIRCUS—and is revolutionizing optical radiation measurement from the infrared to the ultraviolet. Dr. Brown has also led the development of “Traveling SIRCUS”, a transportable version of the facility, to allow the calibration of sensors not easily shipped to NIST, such as ocean buoys, satellite sensors and large telescopes. These key innovations, together with other advances by Dr. Brown in light measurement, are revolutionizing the ability to detect the small decadal-scale changes in the Earth’s environment due to climate change. His discoveries are also having a broad impact on US science and technology by helping to solve key light-measurement problems in other research fields, such as optical medical imaging, solid-state lighting, non-contact thermometry, and fundamental physics.

DR. JOHN KITCHING
National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce
In recognition of his outstanding achievements as a supervisory physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, department of Commerce in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Kitching leads the world’s foremost research program to develop ultra-miniature devices that are bringing atomic measurement to a wide range of applications. Companies are already commercializing devices based on his pioneering work. He is the scientific leader of an interdisciplinary team with expertise in laser physics, atomic physics, and microelectronics. Dr. Kitching and his team are developing significant new technologies. Among these are: chip scale atomic clocks the size of a grain of rice that outperform other small time and frequency references by a factor of at least 1,000 and are capable of improving GPS positioning accuracy, telecommunications and other time-critical applications; chip-scale atomic magnetometers with sensitivity 10,000 greater than other portable magnetometers, which are capable of detecting concealed weapons and potentially providing new forms of medical imaging based on the magnetic fields generated by heart and brain activity; ultra-miniature gyroscopes with navigation-grade performance, capable of replacing current technologies that are 200 times as large and use 100 times the power; and a pea-sized laser spectrometer that could be used for ultra-sensitive chemical “fingerprinting” to detect and identify toxins for security and health purposes, such as monitoring pollutants and greenhouse gases.

BASIC SCIENCE

DR. DIETRICH LEIBFRIED
National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce
For his outstanding accomplishments as a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Leibfried is one of NIST’s leading scientists engaged in the Nation’s foremost research program to develop a practical quantum computer. Quantum computers seek to exploit the strange properties of quantum mechanics to develop computers vastly more powerful than today’s best digital supercomputers for nationally important applications, such as encrypting and decrypting information, predicting the properties of new materials, drugs, and electronic devices that depend upon complex, interacting physical effects, understanding complicated nonlinear processes such as the weather and the climate, and analyzing subtle connections among vast databases of complex information. Dr. Leibfried is responsible for many research innovations in quantum computing, especially for conceiving and experimentally demonstrating the so-called “geometric phase gate”, an extremely versatile and productive way to make a quantum bit (qubit), the basic computing element of a quantum computer. He and his team have used the geometric phase gate to demonstrate a long string of world’s firsts and best—often both at the same time—in quantum computing research, culminating in the 2009 demonstration of a simple, fully programmable quantum computer incorporating all the criteria generally recognized for a scalable, practical quantum computer. Dr. Leibfried’s research ensures US leadership in the on-going quest to develop high-performance quantum computers.

DR. SHYAM K. SHARAN
National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute – Center for Cancer Research,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
In recognition of his superior accomplishments as a Senior Investigator at the National Cancer Institute- Center for Cancer Research, Department of Health and Human Services in Bethesda, Maryland. Each year more than 1.3 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer and almost a third of this number die because of the disease. To date, the only well-established risk factor is inheritance of a mutant or defective copy of one of the breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 or BRCA2. To prevent cancer occurrence, sequencing-based tests can identify individuals with defects in these genes; this is an effective method but the functional significance of most changes is difficult to predict. Consequently, almost 2,000 variants of unknown clinical significance have been identified, posing a serious dilemma for physicians. Dr. Sharan has developed a simple, tractable, and reliable functional assay to understand the significance of such changes. The technology he has developed will be of global benefit to individuals having defects in these genes, as well as physicians and genetic counselors. Furthermore this approach can be used to study other genes. In the era of molecular diagnostics, Dr. Sharan’s functional assay for studying BRCA1 and BRCA2 sequence variants serves as a paradigm for elucidating variants identified in other disease genes as well.

DR. EITE TIESINGA
National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce

For his extraordinary achievements as a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Dr. Tiesinga has established one of the premier, world-class research programs on the theory of collisions of cold atoms. His prolific theoretical work is fundamental to much of the current, cutting-edge experimental work now using ultra-cold atoms to study quantum gases and establish the new field of quantum computing. Dr. Tiesinga’s work on controlling and understanding the interactions of atoms and using the so-called Feshbach resonances to tune or control those interactions has become crucial for quantum computing, for creating dipolar molecules with unusual electromagnetic quantum properties, and for understanding Bose-Einstein condensation and super-fluidity associated with neutral atoms trapped in laser-generated optical lattices. Such tunable resonances have become an indispensable tool in precise and quantitative experimental control of ultra-cold quantum gases. Dr. Tiesinga is routinely sought out by collaborators at NIST, in the USA and internationally to help analyze their measurements and discoveries. His theoretical models and analysis techniques have led to unprecedented precision in understanding and interpreting data on collisions of ultra-cold atoms and in very weakly bound molecular states. His work on modeling the behavior of ultra-cold atoms has helped extend NIST expertise in precise measurement into research areas where new quantum properties are most likely to be discovered.

2008 Award Recipients

 

JOHN A. BIELEC
U.S. Government Accountability Office

For his exceptional legal achievement as a litigation attorney at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington, D.C. Mr. Bielec has successfully argued numerous cases, established significant legal precedents and saved GAO millions of tax dollars. In particular, as a result of his legal representation, major initiatives, including the restructuring of GAO's pay banding system and the closing of certain field offices, have withstood legal challenges. Mr. Bielec has also contributed significantly to the success of GAO's mission by working with representatives of multiple federal agencies to ensure appropriate safeguarding of information provided to GAO by other agencies, continued transparency through public access to GAO's work, and increased cooperation of federal agencies with GAO. His legal accomplishments and efforts have enabled GAO to meet its obligations to the Congress and the American people. Mr. Bielec has always devoted a significant share of his spare time to community youth activities and has served as chairman of his church's parish council.

MICHELLE S. BURGESS
U.S. Navy, Navy Undersea Warfare Center

In recognition of her outstanding sustained efforts and exceptional leadership abilities in administration, science and technical management while on temporary assignment from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I. as a science advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group (SSG), Newport, R.I. Dr. Burgess's enthusiasm, energy and poise combined with her commitment and dedication to her organization, have earned her the respect and recognition of her colleagues. Throughout her career she has excelled as a mechanical engineer, technical program manager and principal investigator; this experience has given her keen insight and understanding of the level of effort required for those she supervises to complete their tasks as well as implementing improvements to enhance their overall performance. Dr. Burgess has demonstrated exemplary ability to work with academia, industry and government entities. Away from the office, she adapts her many talents to an extraordinarily wide range of community activities to which she devotes much of her personal time and effort, especially the Special Olympics; of particular note is her donation of a kidney to a woman in her community.

DANIEL H. FRUCHTER
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

For his remarkable achievements as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville Md. while serving on the Government's litigation team in a high profile False Claims Act case in Federal court. His achievements exemplify the highest level of commitment and outstanding performance, such as are rarely found in attorneys with only four years of Federal service. Mr. Fruchter's efforts in this case contributed significantly to a favorable outcome for the Government - a jury verdict resulting in an award of almost $6 million to the United States. He displayed a keen understanding of complex legal issues, authored a number of highly effective pleadings and proved adept at trial practice and procedure. Widespread media coverage of the trail and the favorable verdict signaled the importance of contractor compliance with requirements designed to ensure the objectivity and integrity of work performed by Government contractors. Mr. Fruchter's commitment to the community is reflect in his substantial volunteer work, which has included disaster relief efforts and the education of inner city children.

APPLIED SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

 

Dr. CHRIS HOSTETLER
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Langley Research Center

In recognition of his exceptional contributions as a senior research scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton Va. to the field of lidar remote sensing of clouds and aerosols. Dr. Hostetler has pushed the boundaries of science and technology to enable future experimental research in the atmospheric sciences. He is a recognized expert in the development and application of advanced space borne, airborne, and ground-based lidar to address scientific questions about climate change that are of high priority to NASA, the atmospheric science community, and the general public. Dr. Hostetler's efforts to demonstrate that a remote sensing laser system could reliably operate for several years were instrumental in making the first operational space-based lidar for atmospheric research a reality. Following the successful launch of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission, he led the development of a new next-generation high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) instrument that represents a fundamental advance in instrumentation for studying the vertical structure of the Earth's atmosphere and recently led HSRL airborne experiments to successfully validate CALIPSO data. Dr. Hostetler is active in several roles in the scientific community, such as a spokesman in the media to better educate the public the efforts of NASA and other agencies to address global warming and climate change and a mentor to Post Doctoral NASA researchers, and in the community at large where he supports activities related to breast cancer research and the Special Olympics.

Dr. TARA H. McHUGH
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

For her numerous high impact research contributions to the development of innovative and sustainable food processing solutions to increase healthfulness and safety of specialty crops and for her exceptional scientific leadership. Dr. McHugh is a highly effective Research Leader for the Processed Foods Research Unit, Western Regional Region Center of the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Albany, Calif. Her cutting-edge food processing research has led to the commercialization of numerous novel, healthy and value-added foods. These include 100% fruit bars, flavorful and attractive fruit- and vegetable-based edible wraps and vitamin D-enhanced mushrooms. These inventions not only add value to specialty crops and improve the American farmers' ability to compete in international markets, but they also benefit both the nation's health by increasing availability of healthy food and rural communities by creating new businesses and job growth. Using the technologies and expertise developed in her laboratories, Dr. McHugh has been extremely effective in partnering with small start-up businesses that have subsequently built manufacturing facilities in rural communities, creating new job opportunities in areas of high unemployment.

Dr. SAE WOO NAM
National Institute of Standards and Technology

For his pioneering contributions and leadership in the field of single photonics as a research physicist and project leader of Quantum Information in the Optoelectronics Division of the National Institute of Standards & Technology in Boulder Colo. Dr. Nam is known worldwide for the invention and application of ground-breaking single photon detection systems, which are furthering some of the world's most challenging endeavors, including quantum cryptography, quantum computing, the examination of fundamental assumptions of quantum mechanics and the ultimate traceability of optical power. He has created best-in-class detector systems using two distinct technical approaches - superconducting tungsten transition edge sensor and superconducting niobium nitride single photon detectors. Dr. Nam's accomplishments include single photon detectors with world-record efficiency in the commercially important telecommunication band; nationally and internationally collaborative demonstrations of practical quantum key distribution with record data rate and distance for practical, ultra-secure communication networks; and the investigation of quantum states of light for improved metrology. In addition to this work, he is active in the scientific field, providing important input to the direction of his field; mentors graduate students and post-doctoral researchers; and is very active in the NIST community through a variety of internal organizations and activities.

 

Dr. JAQUES REIFMAN
U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command

For his exceptional meritorious achievements while serving as director of two cutting-edge research organizations: the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Bioinformatics Cell, and the Department of Defense Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute for Force Health Protection. Starting in 2001, Dr. Reifman single-handedly created, staffed, equipped and led these organizations, which exploit computational biology to expedite development of biomedical counter measures for the conflicts of the 21st century. He has led his dedicated team of diverse scientists to the forefront of computational biology research to help improve soldiers' health by reducing the occurrence of non-battle injuries and the morbidity and mortality of battlefield casualties, and by enabling faster development of diagnostic devices, drugs and vaccines. During seven years of exceptional leadership, extraordinary performance and consistent diligence, Dr. Reifman has transformed the computational biology research capabilities of the Army and of the Department of Defense from non-existent to world-class caliber. In the community at large, he lends his talents in a number of areas: as an accredited mentor with the National Research Council of the National Academies; as a regular member of advisory and review panels for the Army, Department of Defense and other institutions; as investment committee chairman for his synagogue; and as a Science Fair judge.

 

RON A. SZYMANSKI
U.S. Army CERDEC Command and Control Directorate

In recognition of his distinguished performance in the role of technical leader as Lead Computer Scientist with the U.S. Army CERDEC Command & Control (C2) Directorate in Ft. Monmouth N.J. Mr. Szymanski's technical skills and leadership abilities are at the heart of the Battle Command Division's success in delivering projects such as the Joint Web Common Operating Picture's (COP) Plan Subscription Tool; The Running Estimate Services; and the innovative Command and Control Multi-touch Environment Technology (COMET), which he successfully designed and developed in spite of multiple obstacles. His demonstrated skill at grasping the essential requirements embodied in Warfighter needs and his ability to gather and manage resources to meet those requirements by application of innovative technologies in elegant ways is a key asset to the C2 Directorate's future success. He volunteers his personal time and significant technical skills in support of the eCYBERMISSION Program, a free, annual web-based science, math and technology competition for students in grades 6 through 9, serving repeatedly as a judge.

 

BASIC SCIENCE

 

Dr. STEPHAN J. STRANICK
National Institute of Standards and Technology

For his innovations in chemical imaging microscopy techniques below the diffraction limit of light while working as a research scientist with the National Institute of Standards & Technology in Gaithersburg Md. Dr. Stranick designed and demonstrated novel near-field optical microscopy platforms that resulted in dramatic spatial resolution improvements in the visible, infrared and microwave wavelength regimes. His key design innovations led to marked increases in sensitivity and throughput, allowing for far greater applicability of spectroscopic techniques such as Raman to industrially relevant chemical systems. In addition, Dr. Stranick's work has realized complimentary "far-field" super-resolution chemical microscopies based on optical wavefront programming that have provided significant improvements in spatial resolution, allowing for high fidelity chemical imaging of features less than a hundred nanometers. The instrumentation and methods he has developed have been applied to a variety of scientific systems, including nanoscale stress/strain in materials and the distribution of chemical species in biological systems. Dr. Stranick is very involved in teaching and mentoring students from grade school through post graduates and his excitement for science has encouraged many students to pursue scientific careers. He and his family have worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Health in the production of a DVD to raise national awareness of the continuing need to vaccinate children of all ages for Hepatitis A.

 

2007 Award Recipients

APPLIED SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

 

JOHN BUTLER, Ph.D.
National Institute of Standards & Technology

For his contributions as a research chemist to the field of DNA measurement science, a core activity at the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST).  Dr. Butler is one of the world’s leading authorities in DNA-based Human Identification measurement science and technology and is the author of the definitive text used in this field throughout the world.  Among his many significant contributions in this area, the development of “short tandem repeat (STR) markers” has revolutionized the field of DNA forensic science.  The STR markers enable analysis of very small samples of degraded DNA and can be used for human identification, particularly for investigations of mass disasters (both natural and intentional) and missing persons.  This technology was used in the World Trade Center victim identification efforts following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, and more recently has been used to aid in the identification of countless victims, including those of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq war.

 

MARTIN CARLISLE, Ph.D.
United States Air Force Academy

In recognition of his outstanding and sustained achievement as a Professor of Computer Science at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.  Dr. Carlisle expertly crafted the Ada Graphical Integrated Development Environment (AdaGIDE) used for the development of computer software in the Ada programming language for U.S. Air Force programs, including the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft and since incorporated into technical curricula in more than 100 colleges and universities in 9 countries.  In addition, Dr. Carlisle integrated Ada with the Microsoft Net Framework to create the A# programming language which supports critical defense-related activities, including the B-1 bomber program at Warner Robbins Air Force Base.  Finally, to foster the teaching of computer programming and algorithmic thinking skills, Professor Carlisle created the RAPTOR visual programming language and environment that is utilized by all three major U.S. service academies as well as many other universities and colleges in the USA and 5 other countries.

 

CHRISTA PETERS-LIDARD, Ph.D.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center

In recognition of her innovative and important contributions and leadership as a hydrologist, physical scientist, and Branch Head in the Earth Sciences Division of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.  Dr. Peters-Lidard is internationally known for her contributions to high-resolution land surface modelling and satellite data assimilation, and particularly for the application of high-performance computing and communications technologies to this problem.  By creatively synthesizing data and models, she has improved the understanding of the water and energy exchanges that impact weather and climate.  Her highly successful and award-winning Land Information System project is revolutionizing the Nation’s hydrometeorological forecasting capabilities by effectively transitioning the latest NASA science and technology to other agencies with which she works closely, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Air Force Weather Agency.  She is an active participant in the scientific community as a journal editor and conference chair.

 

BASIC SCIENCE

 

ANDRE NUSSENZWEIG, Ph.D.
Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

For the major contributions he has made throughout his career to our understanding of how the integrity of genome is maintained.  Dr. Nussenzweig, a senior investigator at NCI, has made a series of incisive discoveries in the fields of DNA repair and oncogenesis.  This has included establishing that the major non-homologous end joining pathway acts as a genomic “caretaker” that protects the cancer, determining the etiology of chromosomal translocations associated with lymphomas; discovery that a core histone, the basic unit utilized by cells to compact their genomes, can act as a tumor suppressor; and finding two complementary genome maintenance functions in DNA repair and apoptosis that prevent genetic damage from being passed from one generation to the next.  Dr. Nussenzweig’s work on the fundamental aspects of DNA damage detection and repair has important implications for our understanding of the causes of cancer and other age-related pathologies.

 

ERIC SHIRLEY, Ph.D.
National Institute of Standards & Technology

For fundamental theoretical advances in solid-state physics and optics.  Dr. Shirley has advanced the first-principles calculation of the electronic structure of crystalline insulators and semiconductors to allow the highly accurate prediction of their optical properties from the infra-red to the x-ray spectral region.  He has developed efficient approaches to include electron-hole effects and phonon-phonon interactions in the solution of the equations describing excited states in solids, necessary for accurate optical constant prediction in these many-electron systems.  In addition Dr. Shirley has advanced the theory of optical diffraction to allow the rapid and systematic calculation of diffraction effects in complex optical systems.  His advances have made accurate optical diffraction corrections accessible to experimental scientists developing infrared radiation standards.

 

TANER YILDIRIM, Ph.D.
National Institute of Standards and Technology

For his outstanding achievement as a research physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  Dr. Yildirim has developed a pioneering approach of combining first-principles, theoretical calculations with neutron scattering measurements to understand, identify and exploit the key properties in new and important materials.  His innovative, quantum-mechanical methodology is fundamentally altering the way that scientists attack a broad range of research problems and has provided a new paradigm for addressing critical issues in materials science.  Dr. Yildirim’s approach has already led to an understanding of the superconductivity of MgB2, a material that exhibits the highest transition temperature of any conventional superconductor.  More recently he has invented completely new ways to enhance the capacity to store hydrogen in a variety of sold-state materials including alanates, carbon nanotubes, metal-organic frameworks, and ethylene molecules.  His latest results offer the promise of surmounting what is widely considered to be the most serious obstacle in the road to the hydrogen economy.

 

MANAGERIAL OR LEGAL ACHIEVEMENT

 

Major TIMOTHY BODE
United States Air Force, Space Based Infrared Systems Wing

For extraordinary contributions to the federal service as Chief of Operations for the Space Based Infrared Systems Combined Task Force in Boulder, Colorado.  Major Bode exercised exceptional leadership in a wide range program acquisition, technical test, and operations functions to initiate successful operations of a unique new Air Force satellite payload.  The results provided dramatic, tangible contributions to our nation’s ability to warn and defend against threat of hostile missile attack and weapons of mass destruction.  Major Bode also displayed outstanding initiative by working with representatives of multiple federal agencies to extend the promise of this modern satellite payload to benefit civil applications across the globe.

 

JUDITH HAGLEY
Tax Division, Department of Justice

For her exceptional achievement as an Appellate Section Attorney with the Tax Division, Department of Justice in Washington, DC.  During her six year career with the Tax Division, Ms. Hagley has successfully argued numerous cases, established significant legal precedents and saved the Government millions of tax dollars.  Two extremely important cases among many stand out.  In successfully arguing a high-profile case, Coltec Industries, Inc. v. U.S., she persuaded the Federal Circuit to reverse a lower court decision in a closely watched "contingent liability" tax shelter case in which the taxpayer claimed a loss deduction of $378 million.  This landmark decision was consummated when the Supreme Court denied Coltec's petition for a writ of certiorari.  This case was an especially important victory for the Government because it reaffirmed the applicability of the economic-substance doctrine in abusive tax shelter cases.  Ms. Hagley also successfully briefed and argued another closely watched case, BB&T Corp. v. United States.  There, the Fourth Circuit agreed with the Government that a taxpayer was not entitled to the tax benefits from a lease/leaseback tax shelter called the LILO, holding that the Government was not bound by the labels that taxpayers placed on a transaction but could instead look to the transaction's underlying substance to determine whether the claimed tax benefits were legitimate.  This case was particularly important because many corporate taxpayers had purchased this tax shelter, claiming billions of dollars in tax benefits.  In short, Ms. Hagley is single-handedly responsible for helping turn the tide against the proliferation of abusive individual and corporate tax shelter schemes, and ensuring that every taxpayer pays his, her or its fair share of the federal tax burden.

 

ALISA KLEIN
Civil Division, Department of Justice

For her remarkable performance as an Appellate Staff Attorney in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.  Ms. Klein achieved extraordinary victories in some of the Department’s most important and sensitive appellate cases.  For example, in Public Citizen v. U.S. District Court she successfully defended the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, legislation designed to reduce direct federal spending by $39 billion over five years.  In addition, vital public and private interest rest on this legislation, whose titles amended a wide variety of statutes including the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, the Communications Act of 1934, and the Social Security Act.  Other significant statutes successfully defended by Ms. Klein include the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Controlled Substances Act, and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.  She has displayed an unparalleled ability to evaluate a complex legal problem, distill its essence, and present the Government’s position in so compelling a manner that its merit cannot be denied.

 

JANINE VELASCO
Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior

For her outstanding leadership as the Assistant Director, Human Capital Management in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC.  Ms. Velasco has led BLM’s efforts in strategic planning and budgeting, program evaluations, organizational management, and finance.  In 2006, she was selected to take on the challenges of workforce management.  Of a total BLM workforce 10,000, some 35% will be eligible for retirement within a few years.  BLM recognized the urgent need for an executive who understood the natural resource challenges and could transform the workforce.  Meeting the competing demands of the 21st century – energy development, recreation and climate change – Ms. Velasco understood that the Bureau needed to recruit and retain exceptional candidates who reflect the public they serve.  Her efforts have improved the effectiveness of leadership recruitment and development, decreased administrative burdens and built BLM’s capacity to deliver upon its mission.

2006 Award Recipients

ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Major LINDA GUERRERO

For her outstanding leadership as Medical Group Administrator at the 314th Medical Group at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas. Major Guerrero’s accomplishments are clearly visible across the full spectrum of military healthcare. During the past four years of her career she has led the Air Force Tele-radiology Integrated Process Team, which set the future of radiology, developing and employing a real-time solution to mitigate a 50% shortage of radiologists with annual savings of $1.4 million. Additionally, Major Guerrero spearheaded the overhaul of 96 clinical and business staffing models; these models, based on civilian best practices, optimized 36,000 medical positions across 75 medical facilities. Under Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure, she drove the analyses which led the Medical Joint Cross Service Group to six final scenarios, recommending the largest re-structuring of Department of Defense medicine since World War II. It has been Major Guerrero’s passion, coupled with her ability to leverage the talents of others toward a common goal, which has resulted in such a high level of success.

Lieutenant Colonel (Dr.) TAMMY SAVOIE

For her highly significant accomplishments as Deputy Program Manager, Joint Medical Information Systems Office, Theater Medical Information Program (TMIP), Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command in Falls Church, Virginia and as Chief, Biobehavioral Performance Branch in the Biosciences and Protection Division (BPD), Human Effectiveness Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks City-Base in San Antonio, Texas. While at TMIP Dr. Savoie developed a Department of Defense suite of automated medical system solutions and coordinated with multiple government contractors to support warfighters in operational theaters of conflict. She deployed to Iraq to collect patient medical information in the field and make it electronically available to medical providers anywhere a patient may be transferred; it is now deployed worldwide for use by expeditionary medical forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She implemented robust long-term training strategies for all Services and created an intricate network of software support for the Services. Her efforts resulted in 500,000 health records from Iraq flowing to an electronic watchboard for medical surveillance. Her success at TMIP led to her by-name selection to her current position, where she continues her outstanding performance, currently championing the overall program management of science and technologies related to the Department of Defense air and space capabilities, enhancing combat survivability, extending performance, and protecting military forces. At the same time she is overseeing a major transition in the organization of BPD, directing the merger of two branches at different locations, divesting of legacy research lines and starting new ones.

NATHAN STONG

For his distinguished service as Lead Engineer, Engineering Career Development Process Improvement Team, Engineering Directorate, Ogden Air Logistics Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Mr. Stong has contributed exceptional leadership skills in promoting the advancement of engineering excellence through innovative team building, and through the accomplishment of unique electronic solutions. He has shown remarkable skill in mentoring and shaping the science and engineering work force at Hill Air Force Base. For instance, working with teams of upper level manager, he succeeded in developing and defining 62 clear career categories in place of hundreds of scattered, isolated and dysfunctional groups. This method is under review for implementation Air Force-wide. Mr. Stong’s professional competence, dedication, and devotion to duty have resulted in significant improvements to the United States Air Force weapons system operational availability, while reducing overall sustainment costs.

APPLIED SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

Dr. KENT IRWIN

Wastewater from the South Africa Universiteit van Nederland