WASHINGTON, D.C., July 27, 2006 – At a White House ceremony yesterday, seven “early career” researchers, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), were honored for their work ranging from the study of elements produced by exploding stars, to the validation of computer simulations in support of the nation’s nuclear stockpile stewardship program.
Stony Brook University researcher Michael Zingale, PhD., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, was one of those honored.
DOE’s scientists are among 56 researchers supported by eight federal departments and agencies who received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The Presidential award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers. Each Presidential award winner received a citation, a plaque and a commitment for continued funding of their work from their agency for five years. Dr. John Marburger, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, presented the awards.
“All of us here at the Energy Department are very pleased that these individuals are being recognized by the President for the intellectual rigor, relevance and high technical standards of their work,” Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said. “We are proud to honor these seven awardees as a means of encouraging promising young scientists and engineers to pursue work in areas of importance to the Department of Energy’s energy research and national security missions.”
After the White House awards ceremony, the seven researchers described their work at a ceremony at DOE headquarters hosted by DOE Under Secretary for Science Dr. Raymond L. Orbach and NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Thomas P. D'Agostino.
Stony Brook’s Zingale was among three researchers from universities who received the Office of Defense Programs Early Career Scientist and Engineer Award. NNSA’s national security laboratories nominated the recipients in recognition of their work in support of the administration's national security mission.
Zingale was nominated for his key role as a developer of the 3-D astrophysical code FLASH, its application to neutron star X-rays bursts, and his subsequent pioneering of detailed 2-and 3-D hyrodynamics simulations that illuminate how thermonuclear flames drive cosmologically important Type la Supernova explosions.
Biographical information on the winners and their award citations are available at
http://www.science.doe.gov/Accomplishments_Awards/PECASE/PECASE.htm.
