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Five NIST Scientists Win Flemming Awards

Five National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers are among the winners of the prestigious 2009 Arthur S. Flemming Awards. The winners were honored at a ceremony on June 14, 2010.

Steven Brown, physicist in the Laser Applications Group, was recognized for major advances in light measurement and its applications to the environmental remote sensing of the Earth.

Marla Dowell, leader of the Sources, Detectors and Displays Group, received her award for her exceptional leadership of the world's most comprehensive laser metrology program.

John Kitching, leader of the Atomic Devices and Instrumentation Group, was recognized for his outstanding efforts to develop ultra-miniature devices that bring atomic measurement precision to a wide range of applications.

Dietrich Leibfried, physicist in the Ion Storage Group, was honored for research innovations in quantum computing, especially for conceiving and experimentally demonstrating a versatile and productive way to make a quantum bit (qubit), the basic computing element of a quantum computer.

Eite Tiesing, a physicist in the Quantum Processes and Metrology Group, received his award for his prolific work on controlling and understanding the interactions of ultracold atoms. 

Established in 1948, the Flemming awards memorialize Arthur S. Flemming, whose seven decades of service spanned the federal government and higher education. The awards honor outstanding career federal employees who have between three and 15 years of government service and are given for exceptional work in applied science, engineering and mathematics, basic science, and managerial or legal achievement. The George Washington University has administered the awards since 1998.

See the Flemming Award website for more details.

Released June 23, 2010, Updated January 19, 2023