FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2007
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —Two Sandia National Laboratories researchers will be awarded major prizes by the American Physical Society at its annual March meeting, to be held in New Orleans.
Julia Phillips will receive the George E. Pake Prize, which recognizes outstanding work by physicists who combine original research with leadership in the management of research or development in industry. Phillips was cited for her leadership along with her pioneering research in materials physics for industrial and national security applications.
Past Sandia president C. Paul Robinson won this award in 2003.
Gary Grest will receive the Aneesur Rahman Prize, given annually to recognize and encourage outstanding achievement in computational physics research. Grest’s work was characterized as “ground-breaking” in his development of computational methods and their application to the study of soft materials, including polymers, colloids, and granular systems.
Sandia is a National Nuclear Security Administration laboratory.
Each prize consists of $5,000 and an allowance for travel to the March meeting at which the prize is awarded. Certificates will be presented that cite the contributions made by each recipient. Grest will deliver the Rahman Lecture and Phillips will present an invited talk.
APS annual prizes and awards, more than 40 in number, recognize outstanding achievements in research, education and public service. With few exceptions, they are open to all members of the scientific community in the U.S. and abroad. The nomination and selection procedure, involving APS-appointed selection committees, guarantees their high standards and prestige, according to a blurb from the society.
Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
Sandia news media contact: Neal Singer, nsinger@sandia.gov, (505)845-7078