News Release 13-208
President Obama honors outstanding early-career scientists
19 National Science Foundation-supported researchers receive award
December 23, 2013
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President Barack Obama today named 102 researchers as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports 19 of the award recipients.
The winners will receive their awards at a Washington, D.C., ceremony in the coming year.
"The impressive achievements of these early-stage scientists and engineers are promising indicators of even greater successes ahead," Obama said. "We are grateful for their commitment to generating the scientific and technical advancements that will ensure America's global leadership for many years to come."
The Presidential Early Career Awards embody the high priority the Obama administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the Nation's goals, tackle grand challenges, and contribute to the American economy. The recipients are employed or funded by the following departments and agencies: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior, Department of Veterans Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NSF, the Smithsonian Institution and the Intelligence Community.
The departments and agencies join together annually to nominate the most meritorious scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America's preeminence in science and engineering and contributing to the awarding agencies' missions.
The awards, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.
This year's NSF recipients are:
Theodor Agapie, California Institute of Technology
Javier Arce-Nazario, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Sarah Bergbreiter, University of Maryland, College Park
Moises Carreon, University of Louisville
Sigrid Close, Stanford University
Raffaella De Vita, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Abigail Doyle, Princeton University
Daniel Goldman, Georgia Institute of Technology
Joel Griffitts, Brigham Young University
Samantha Hansen, University of Alabama
Rouslan Krechetnikov, University of California, Santa Barbara
Tamara Moore, University of Minnesota
Daniela Oliveira, Bowdoin College
Jonathan Pillow, University of Texas at Austin
Benjamin Recht, University of Wisconsin-Madison
David Savitt, University of Arizona
Noah Snavely, Cornell University
Junqiao Wu, University of California, Berkeley
Ahmet Yildiz, University of California, Berkeley
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Deborah Wing, NSF, (703) 292-5344, email: dwing@nsf.gov
Related Websites
White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/23/president-obama-honors-outstanding-early-career-scientists
The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.
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