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2019 NIST Awards Ceremony
Gold Medal Award
The Gold Medal Award is the highest award given by the Department of Commerce for extraordinary, notable or prestigious contributions that impact the mission of the Department of Commerce and/or one operating unit, and which reflect favorably on the Department.
An illustration showing the base units of the International System of Units (Awarded to the staff of the NIST Director's Office, Associate Director for Management Resources and Associate Director for Laboratory Programs).
Organizational Award
For laying the foundation for an International System of Units based on natural constants, the most significant SI advance since 1875.
- Director's Office
- Associate Director for Management Resources
- Associate Director for Laboratory Programs
Hendricks, Brandenburg, Ricker, Luce
Group Award
For exceptional and innovative encasement design, enabling preservation of multiple documents, from the US Bill of Rights to the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Nolan Brandenburg
- Mark Luce
- Jay Hendricks
- Jacob Ricker
Luce, Barnard Feeney, Dima, Hedberg, Helu, Weiss
Group Award
For developing a unique facility that accelerates the adoption of critical digital technologies and streams data to enable manufacturing innovation.
- Mark Luce
- Allison Barnard Feeney
- Thomas D. Hedberg, Jr.
- Moneer Helu
- Brian A. Weiss
- Alden Dima
Virts, Jacoff, Saidi, Kimble
Group Award
For outstanding development and dissemination of standard test methods used worldwide to evaluate and improve bomb-disposal robots and operators.
- Adam Jacoff
- Kenneth Kimble
- Kamel Saidi
- Ann Marie Virts
Chakalis, Hoehler, Bundy, Chernovsky, Bryant, Choe, Story, DeLauter
Group Award
For developing advanced measurement capabilities at the National Fire Research Laboratory, a unique national facility for studying buildings and structures exposed to fire.
- Rodney Bryant
- Matthew Bundy
- Anthony Chakalis
- Artur Chernovsky
- Lisa Choe
- Laurean DeLauter
- Matthew Hoehler
- Brian Story
Chandramouli
Individual Award
For developing the security recommendations for operating system virtualizations used in cloud technologies around the world.
- Ramaswamy Chandramouli
Lin-Gibson, Allocca
Group Award
For extraordinary national and international leadership in promoting biotechnology innovation, manufacturing and trade through standards development.
- Clare M. Allocca
- Sheng Lin-Gibson
Yang, Stein, Neta, Liang
Group Award
For revolutionizing the breadth, scope and responsiveness of the NIST Tandem Mass Spectral Library for chemical identification in complex mixtures.
- Yuxue Liang
- Pedatsur Neta
- Stephen Stein
- Xiaoyu Yang
Back Row: Sherman, Beloy, Swann, Hume, Newbury, Ludlow
Front Row: Leibrandt, Sinclair
Group Award
For creating and networking the world's best optical atomic clocks for a 100-fold improvement in precision timekeeping over the state of the art.
- Kyle Beloy
- David Hume
- David Leibrandt
- Andrew Ludlow
- Nathan Newbury
- Jeffrey Sherman
- Laura Sinclair
- William Swann
- Jun Ye
Silver Medal Award
The Silver Medal Award is the second highest honor conferred by the Department of Commerce. It recognizes exceptional performance characterized by noteworthy or superlative contributions that have a direct and lasting impact within the Department.
Liu
Individual Award
For identifying the root cause of a major obstacle preventing promising new monoclonal antibody therapies from reaching their true potential.
- Yun Liu
Gilmore, Dougherty, Armstrong, Smith, Bollinger, Sherman
Group Award
For sustained superior group performance pursuing procurement and construction of a 15-acre, 5-megawatt, solar array system for the NIST Gaithersburg campus.
- Tommy Armstrong
- John R. Bollinger
- Daniel Gilmore
- Steven Smith
- Brian Dougherty
- Thomas M. Sherman
- Timothy Hoseth
LaRosa, Nour, Mumm, Tyra, Bergeron
Group Award
For advancing nuclear reactor monitoring and nuclear nonproliferation by developing a novel, first-of-a-kind detector for measuring antineutrinos.
- Denis Bergeron
- Jerome LaRosa
- Hans Pieter Mumm
- Svetlana Nour
- Mark A. Tyra
Bronze Medal Award
The Bronze Medal Award is the highest recognition awarded by NIST. The award, approved by the Director, recognizes work that has resulted in more effective and efficient management systems as well as the demonstration of unusual initiative or creative ability in the development and improvement of methods and procedures. It is also given for significant contributions affecting major programs, scientific accomplishments, and superior performance of assigned tasks for at least five consecutive years.
Frycklund
Individual Award
For professional excellence in advocating an inclusive workforce via stewardship of the Incentive Awards and Reasonable Accommodation programs
- Morgan Frycklund
Leith, Mundy, Graham, Rickerds, Katzman, Franchois
Group Award
For enhancing the security of NIST public websites, expeditiously meeting federal requirements and exceeding stakeholder expectations.
- Paul Franchois
- James Graham III
- Esther Katzman
- Nicholas Kulick
- John Venable
- Ann Leith
- Andrew Mundy
- Ann Rickerds
Thompson, Mohamoud, Vijayaverl, Dmuchowski, Senseney
Group Award
For exceptional contributions implementing the new grants review process using Google's G-Suite Cloud services.
- Zak Mohamoud
- Justin Senseney
- Rathini Vijayaverl
- Steven Dmuchowski
- Kristy Thompson
Caromi, Sahoo, Souryal, Hall, Nguyen
Group Award
For the standardization of Citizens Broadband Radio Service in support of more efficient spectrum sharing between commercial and federal users.
- Raied Caromi
- Tim Hall
- Thao Nguyen
- Anirudha Sahoo
- Michael Souryal
Szalai
Individual Award
For partnering with industry to reduce the cost and complexity of applying electron paramagnetic resonance to a broad range of measurement challenges
- Veronika Szalai
Poppendieck
Individual Award
For innovative research and standards leadership in quantifying airborne contaminant emissions from spray polyurethane foam insulation
- Dustin Poppendieck
Pufall, Russek, Schneider, Rippard
Group Award
For demonstrating novel magnetic-superconducting devices that enable dramatic power and speed improvements in neuromorphic computing
- Matthew Pufall
- William Rippard
- Stephen Russek
- Michael Schneider
Feng, Horst, Barnard Feeney
Group Award
For vision, leadership and outstanding contributions to a standard for the exchange of quality information in digital manufacturing enterprises.
- Allison Barnard Feeney
- Shaw C. Feng
- John A. Horst
Centrone
Individual Award
For pioneering a novel tool that provides first-ever multi-modal imaging of significant biomolecules such as those relevant to Alzheimer's disease
- Andrea Centrone
Mundy, Chakalis, Hoehler, Bundy, Chernovksy, Bryant, Deardorff, Fernandez, DeLauter, Story
Group Award
For execution of cross-laminated timber compartment fire experiments resulting in significant building code changes and improvements in fire safety.
- Rodney Bryant
- Matthew Bundy
- Anthony Chakalis
- Artur Chernovsky
- Philip Deardorff
- Laurean DeLauter
- Marco Fernandez
- Matthew Hoehler
- Andrew Mundy
- Brian Story
Nave
Individual Award
For providing ultraprecise spectroscopic benchmarks in support of U.S. industry and research, including the search for extraterrestrial planets
- Gillian Nave
Candell, Quimby, Remley, Novotny
Group Award
For innovative measurement methods and a first-ever guide that enables manufacturers to realize the benefits of wireless technologies in factories.
- David R. Novotny
- Jeanne Quimby
- Kate A. Remley
- Richard Candell
Stocker, Zheng, Renegar, Soons, Thompson
Group Award
For novel contributions to the field of forensics by digitally preserving ballistic evidence from the John F. Kennedy assassination, for the benefit of future generations.
- Robert M. Thompson
- Thomas B. Renegar
- Johannes A. Soons
- Michael T. Stocker
- Xiaoyu A. Zheng
Montgomery, Borchert, Rose, McBride, Sriram
Group Award
For leadership in public/private collaborations that have advanced the security of national and global network infrastructures.
- Oliver Borchert
- William Haag Jr.
- Tim McBride
- Douglas Montgomery
- Scott Rose
- Murugiah Souppaya
- Kotikalapudi Sriram
Miller
Individual Award
For leading a national calibration laboratory proficiency testing (PT) program for state weights and measures and industry laboratories
- Val Miller
Shibley, Gomez, Mocca, Hernandez, Martin, Claussen, Spangler
Group Award
For extraordinary achievement in planning and facilitating an unprecedented relocation of all 55 NIST MEP staff members.
- Bryan Wade
- Monica Claussen
- Anthony Gomez
- Autumn Hernandez
- Kathleen Martin
- Justin Mocca
- Carol Shibley
- Jeffery Singleton
- Megan Spangler
Petersen, Elliott, Toman
Group Award
For development and implementation of a measurement assurance strategy to improve comparability and reliability of cell-based assays.
- John Elliott
- Elijah Petersen
- Blaza Toman
Halter
Individual Award
For development and deployment of a method to benchmark performance of fluorescence microscopes that is accessible to the general user community.
- Michael Halter
Katz, Stoudt, Campbell, Levine, Zhang, Gnaupel-Herold, Phan, Williams
Group Award
For identifying improved post-processing treatments for additive manufacturing metal alloys that resolve a critical issue of mechanical part failure.
- Thomas Gnaupel-Herold
- Carelyn Campbell
- Michael Katz
- Eric Lass
- Lyle Levine
- Mark Stoudt
- Maureen Williams
- Fan Zhang
- Thien Phan
Back Row: Sandel, Crews, Drapela, Oliver, Blumer, Holiday
Front Row: Bergren, Potts, Schlatter
Group Award
For developing and implementing a central ordering and delivery program for compressed gases and liquid cryogens for the NIST Boulder campus.
- Charles E. Oliver
- Katie Schlatter
- Tiffany Atchison
- Michael Blumer
- Ray Holiday
- Jody Sandel
- Norman Bergren
- Margaret Crews
- Tim Drapela
- Petrina Potts
Lieberman, Robinson, Szwed, Yavetz, Weiblinger, Brown
Group Award
For achieving a significant time reduction (30%) in the approval process of other agency reimbursable and payable agreements.
- Nick Kornegay
- Sarah Coe
- Melissa Lieberman
- Hannah Brown
- Margaret Robinson
- Michael Szwed
- Karen Yavetz
- Julie Weiblinger
Grutter
Individual Award
For exacting neutron measurements that established the use of antiferromagnets to enhance and control magnetism in topological insulators.
- Alexander Grutter
Allen V. Astin Measurement Science Award
Allen Astin came to NIST in 1925 and went on to do important work in electronics and in military research, including developing proximity fuses for bombs in support of the nation’s war effort during World War II. He became the fifth NIST director in 1952. The Astin Award, first presented in 1984, is granted for outstanding achievement in the advancement of measurement science or in the delivery of measurement services.
Song
Individual Award
For revolutionizing firearm forensics by discovering a robust statistical method for attributing cartridge case evidence to a specific firearm.
- Jun-Feng (John) Song
Arthur S. Flemming Award
The Arthur S. Flemming Award was established in 1948 by the Downtown Jaycees of Washington, D.C., to honor outstanding federal employees for unusually meritorious work. The award is supported by the Office of Personnel Management and is sponsored by the George Washington University and Government Executive magazine in conjunction with the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission.
Kline
Individual Award
For his interdisciplinary research of methods to determine the complex, three-dimensional structure of state-of-the-art microelectronic devices and the molecular structure and orientation of organic electronics materials for flexible electronics.
- R. Joseph Kline
B. Stephen Carpenter Award
The B. Stephen Carpenter award, established in 2017, is granted for outstanding achievements or contributions in building ties between NIST and the international measurement community, including other national metrology institutes and international organizations who play a role in the global measurement system.
Norris
Individual Award
For establishing and leading the Standard Reference Photometer program, which is central to the worldwide system of ozone monitoring.
- James E. Norris
Colleagues' Choice Award
First established in 2006, the Colleague’s Choice Award is granted to non-supervisory employees at NIST who, in the eyes of their colleagues, have made significant contributions that broadly advance the NIST mission and strategic goals or broadly contribute to the overall health and effectiveness of NIST.
Vogl
Individual Award
For outstanding leadership of the Engineering Laboratory SURF technical representatives through a new and challenging selection and review process.
- Gregory Vogl
Mohamoud, Senseney
Group Award
For significantly enhancing the ability of NIST staff to perform their work and collaborate with colleagues within and outside of NIST.
- Zak Mohamoud
- Justin Senseney
Brundage
Individual Award
For exceptional commitment in developing new capabilities that advance NIST Smart Manufacturing efforts to improve industry operational efficiency.
- Michael Brundage
Sorcek
Individual Award
For exceptional contributions to human resource systems and programs impacting NIST's federal workforce.
- Terry Sorcek
Director's Award for Excellence in Administration
The NIST Director’s Award for Excellence in Administration was first established in 2007. This award is granted to employees engaged in providing administrative service or carrying out administrative functions, who have made significant contributions that broadly advance the NIST mission and strategic goals through excellence in administrative services and functions.
Mitchell
Individual Award
For leadership in standing up a new gas management program for NIST and providing leadership in mitigating impacts from worldwide helium shortages.
- Adrian Mitchell
Leicht
Individual Award
For outstanding administrative leadership and support of the Public Safety Communications Research project.
- Danni Leicht
Distinguished Career Award
The Distinguished Career Award, established in 2017, is granted to employees who have made lasting, long-term contributions to NIST's mission and strategic goals throughout their career.
Pierce
Individual Award
For 30 years of innovative engineering contributions to the design of world-leading neutron instruments and beam delivery systems.
- Donald J. Pierce
Doiron
Individual Award
For sustained and lasting contributions to NIST and the next generation of practitioners in the field of precision dimensional metrology.
- Theodore Doiron
Distinguished Mentoring Award
Established in 2018, the Distinguished Mentoring Award recognizes the value of mentoring and the positive impact it has on the mission of NIST. The winners of the award have fostered excellence in others, through either a formal or informal mentoring relationship.
Killgore
Individual Award
For his tireless ability to motivate mentees to be inquisitive and innovative while guiding scientific research to impactful new directions.
- Jason Killgore
Copello
Individual Award
For exceptional mentorship of NIST staff and establishment of career progression pathways for CTL administrative staff.
- Brian Copello
Diversity, Inclusivity and Equal Employment Opportunity Award
The Diversity, Inclusivity and Equal Employment Opportunity Award was first presented in 1977. Previously called the Equal Employment Opportunity/Diversity Award, the award recognizes exemplary contributions or leadership that ensure a more diverse and inclusive work environment for everyone at NIST.
Cipra
Individual Award
For supporting the increased inclusion and participation of veterans in the NIST community and mission by facilitating the establishment of a NIST Veterans Affinity Group.
- Daniel Cipra
Edward Bennett Rosa Award
Edward Rosa came to NIST in 1901 to start the new electricity research division. He eventually become the organization’s chief physicist and the right hand of NIST’s first director, Samuel Stratton. The Rosa Award, established in 1964, is granted for outstanding achievements or contributions in the development of meaningful and significant engineering, scientific, or documentary standards either within NIST or in cooperation with other government agencies or private groups.
Kulvatunyou, Riddick, Wallace
Group Award
For outstanding technical leadership in the development of a new information standard and software to support food manufacturing and food safety.
- Boonserm Kulvatunyou
- Frank Riddick
- Evan Wallace
Edward Uhler Condon Award
The Edward Uhler Condon Award is named after the fourth director of NIST. A theoretical physicist and a prolific writer, Edward Condon produced a steady stream of articles for Scientific American, Popular Mechanics and other periodicals. First presented in 1974, the Condon Award is granted for distinguished achievement in effective written exposition in science or technology. Including, but not limited to, the demonstration of substantial scientific, technical, or technological merit, unusually effective exposition through organization and clarity of style, broad treatment of a specific subject area, or appeal to readers with a wide range of scientific or technical interests.
Mell, Yaga
Group Award
For excellence in exposition that effectively demystifies blockchain technologies and provides authoritative guidance on its use.
- Peter Mell
- Dylan Yaga
Eugene Casson Crittenden Award
Eugene Crittenden joined NIST in 1904 where he worked for more than 50 years. Among other accomplishments, he helped establish international standards for photometry. The Crittenden Award gives recognition to the accomplishments of NIST technical and administrative support staff who provide services that have significant impact in support of the NIST mission.
Raines, Amigo, Young
Group Award
For exceptional technical support over the past 15 years in the successful fabrication of critical scientific instruments for NIST scientists.
- Christopher Amigo
- Terry Raines
- Aaron Young
Braine
Individual Award
For developing a 24/7 lab environmental monitoring system that protects expensive equipment by alerting staff to potential problems in real time.
- Michael Braine
Jew
Individual Award
For outstanding Library E-Resources customer service in support of the research efforts of NIST's Gaithersburg and Boulder staff.
- Julie Jew
Fort
Individual Award
For providing critical after-hours logistical handling of temperature-sensitive Standard Reference Materials (SRMs).
- James Fort
George A. Uriano Award
The George A. Uriano Award was first presented in 1996. George Uriano was the driving force behind NIST’s Advanced Technology Program of the 1990s and early 2000s. The Uriano Award is granted for outstanding achievements by NIST staff in building or strengthening NIST extramural programs, with emphasis on fostering U.S. competitiveness and business excellence.
Devereaux, Thatte
Group Award
For creating a partnership with the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, leveraging MEP Centers' outreach in support of food safety in the US.
- Douglas Devereaux
- Dileep Thatte
Fischer, Sullivan
Group Award
For exceptionally distinguished performance in financial planning and budget management for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.
- Suzanne Sullivan
- Barbara Fischer
Jacob Rabinow Applied Research Award
The Jacob Rabinow Applied Research Award is named after the legendary NIST inventor. Jacob Rabinow earned more than 200 U.S. patents for many different types of mechanical, optical, and electrical devices. First presented in 1975, the Rabinow Award is granted for outstanding achievements in the practical application of the results of scientific or engineering research.
McClelland
Individual Award
For innovations in laser cooling of atoms resulting in the commercialization of new methods for performing ion beam fabrication and microscopy.
- Jabez McClelland
Judson C. French Award
Judson French was the director of the former NIST Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory, and he committed himself to the development and delivery of the very best products and services to the electronics and electrical industries. The French Award is granted for significant improvement in products delivered directly to industry, including new or improved NIST calibration services, Standard Reference Materials, and Standard Reference Databases.
Rufenacht
Individual Award
For outstanding scientific leadership, industrial engagement and customer service for the NIST Programmable Josephson Voltage Standard reference instrument.
- Alain Rufenacht
Eardley, Minniti
Group Award
The team is recognized for designing and installing a new therapy-level Co-60 gamma-ray dosimetry calibration facility.
- David Eardley
- Ronaldo Minniti
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) recognizes the high priority placed by the government on maintaining the leadership position of the United States in science by producing outstanding scientists and engineers and nurturing their continued development. The awards identify a cadre of outstanding scientists and engineers who will broadly advance science and the missions important to the participating agencies.
Verma
Individual Award
For pioneering devices that detect and count single particles of light, and for serving the community through professional leadership, mentoring and helping others.
- Varun Verma
Chan
Individual Award
For developing innovative measurement methods that reveal the complex properties of soft polymer films.
- Edwin P. Chan
Jordan
Individual Award
For contributions to computing science, including insight into exploiting quantum systems for computation and laying the groundwork for answers to scientific questions about the computational power of the universe.
- Stephen P. Jordan
Alexey V. Gorshkov
Individual Award
For his groundbreaking research in quantum science, which included manipulating individual light particles to strongly interact.
- Alexey Gorshkov
Keenan
Individual Award
For development of a world-first suite of standards for magnetic resonance imaging and providing leadership in the medical and scientific community through technology transfer and mentoring.
- Kathryn Keenan
Hamadani
Individual Award
For innovative and cutting-edge research in the measurement of photovoltaic materials, dedicated leadership in developing standards, and outstanding mentorship.
- Behrang Hamadani
Long
Individual Award
For contributions to the measurement of carbon-containing materials, and for his commitment to mentoring young scientists.
- David Long
Petersen
Individual Award
For pioneering toxicity measurement methods for nanomaterials to help industry and the public sector assess the environmental, health and safety impacts of products such as carbon nanotubes.
- Elijah Petersen
Quinlan
Individual Award
For generating the world’s most stable electromagnetic signals and making a 10,000-fold improvement in the ability to measure those signals.
- Franklyn Quinlan
Sinclair
Individual Award
For creating a suite of optical tools suitable for precisely measuring applications that are used outside of laboratory environments.
- Laura Sinclair
Presidential Rank Award
The Presidential Rank Award, created in 1978, recognizes members of the Senior Executive Service for exceptional performance over an extended period of time as well as other senior career employees with a sustained record of exceptional professional, technical, and/or scientific achievement recognized on a national or international level.
Romine
Individual Award
For his leadership in transforming the NIST Information Technology Laboratory into the nation’s leading institution conducting research in IT metrology.
- Charles Romine
Spielman
Individual Award
For his pioneering work and leadership in developing quantum simulation techniques to investigate natural phenomena too complex for traditional mathematical computation.
- Ian Spielman
NIST Fellow and director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) Donna Dodson retired from NIST and as a federal employee on May 8, 2020.
Individual Award
For her technical acumen, leadership, and worldwide impact in the area of cybersecurity, including its applications in artificial intelligence and cryptography.
- Donna Dodson
Olthoff
Individual Award
For his leadership and strategic vision, both within NIST and in the international metrology community.
- James Olthoff
Ron Brown Excellence in Innovation Award
The Ron Brown Excellence in Innovation Award recognizes unusually significant accomplishments that resulted in the implementation of innovative and creative solutions to Commerce Department problems and challenges.
Virts, Jacoff, Saidi, Kimble
Group Award
For outstanding development and dissemination of standard test methods used worldwide to evaluate and improve bomb-disposal robots and operators.
- Adam Jacoff
- Kenny Kimble
- Kamel Saidi
- Ann Marie Virts
Safety Award
The NIST Safety Award was established in 1979 and recognizes NIST employees and organizations for substantial contributions to improving safety at NIST.
Engineering Laboratory staff discussing potential laboratory emergency scenarios as part of a safety tabletop exercise.
Organizational Award
For instituting innovative annual tabletop safety exercises as a key component of safety management in the Engineering Laboratory.
- Engineering Laboratory
Haynes
Individual Award
For outstanding contributions to safety and facilities management at the division and OU level within MML.
- Ross Haynes
Weister, Henry, Mathews, Ritchie, Hobbes, Kaiser, Smith
Group Award
For development and execution of a new safety culture program within OFPM resulting in significant improvements in organizational safety performance.
- Bernard Brusko
- David Henry
- Ted Hobbes
- Philip Kaiser
- Bron Lackey
- Robert Mathews IV
- Kathryn Ritchie
- Steven Smith
- Thomas E. Weister
Samuel Wesley Stratton Award
The Samuel Wesley Stratton Award was first presented in 1962. Samuel Stratton was the very first director of NIST, then known as the National Bureau of Standards. The Stratton Award recognizes an unusually significant research contribution to science or engineering that merits the acclaim of the scientific world and supports NIST’s mission objectives.
Zhou
Individual Award
For neutron measurements and modeling that reveal atomic interactions enabling simpler and cheaper methods of chemical separation and energy storage.
- Wei Zhou
William P. Slichter Award
The William P. Slichter Award was first presented in 1992. As a member of the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology in the late 1980s, William Slichter was a strong advocate for NIST’s role in supporting U.S. industry. The Slichter Award is granted for outstanding achievements by NIST staff in building or strengthening ties between NIST and industry.
Golmie, Remley
Group Award
For leadership of the NIST 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance to accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation communications technology.
- Nada Golmie
- Kate A. Remley