President Clinton today named 60 young researchers as recipients of the third annual Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers.

 These Presidential Awards, established by President Clinton in February 1996, embody the high priority the Administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers and nurturing their continued development.  Eight Federal departments join together annually to nominate the most meritorious young scientists and engineers who will broadly advance science and technology that will be of the greatest benefit to the participating government agencies.

 "These talented young men and women show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge," President Clinton said.  "Their passion for discovery will spark our can-do spirit of technological innovation and drive this Nation forward to build a better America for the twenty-first century."

 In the February 10, 1999 award ceremony, Dr. Neal Lane, the President's Science Advisor, cited the honorees “for their research contributions, for their promise, and for their commitment to broader societal goals.”

 Those selected receive five-year research grants to further their study in support of critical government missions.  The Federal agencies involved are: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Veterans' Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

 The recipients are:

Department of Agriculture
John Dobrinsky, USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Service
Krishna Niyogi, University of California at Berkeley
Brian J. Palik, Forest Service North Central Forest Experiment Station

Department of Commerce
Michael H. Bergin, University of Colorado Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, NOAA
Sharon C. Glotzer, Material Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, NIST
Anthony J. Kearsley, Information Technology Laboratory, NIST
Joseph A. Shaw, Environmental Technology Laboratory, NOAA

Department of Defense
Daniel J. Blumenthal, University of California, Santa Barbara
Elizabeth C. Dickey, University of Kentucky
Miroslav Krstic, University of California, San Diego
John D. O'Brien, University of Southern California
Robert G. Parker, Ohio State University
Guillermo Sapiro, University of Minnesota

Department of Energy
Mari Lou Balmer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Toyna L. Kuhl, University of California at Santa Barbara
James E. Lee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Roya Maboudian, University of California at Berkeley
Anthony Mezzacappa, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Christopher P. Palmer, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology
Gary P. Wiederrecht, Argonne National Laboratory

Department of Veterans' Affairs
Alan E. Mast, VA Medical Center
Richard N. Pierson, VA Medical Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mitchell S. Albert, Longwood Medical Research Center
Howard Pearlman, University of Southern California
Shobita Satyapal, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Azadeh Tabazadeh, NASA Ames Research Center
Paul O. Wennberg, California Institute of Technology
Andrew Westphal, Space Science Laboratory, University of California

National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services
Angelika B. Amon, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Marlene Behrmann, Carnegie Mellon University
Mark E. Brezinski, Massachusetts General Hospital
David D. Chang, University of California, Los Angeles
Brian D. Dynlacht, Harvard University
Ulrike A. Heberlein, San Francisco General Hospital
Linda A. Hicke, Northwestern University
Effie W. Petersdorf, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Gregory J. Quirk, Urb. Punto Oro
Jeffrey Struewing, National Cancer Institute, NIH
Mark Von Zastrow, University of California
Matthew Waldor, New England Medical Center, #41

National Science Foundation
Mario Affatigato, Coe College
Eric I. Altman, Yale University
Nalini Ambady, Harvard University
Alexander Barvinok, University of Michigan
Pei Cao, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Janet Conrad, Columbia University
Christopher J. Diorio, University of Washington
Shirley J. Dyke, Washington University
Rhonda F. Drayton, University of Illinois - Chicago
Cassandra L. Fraser, University of Virginia
Julie A. Jacko, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Robert B. Jackson, University of Texas - Austin
Sugih Jamin, University of Michigan
Elizabeth A. Lada, University of Florida
Gregory H. Leazer, University of California - Los Angeles
Gina M. MacDonald, James Madison University
Scot Martin, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Hudson K. Reeve, Cornell University
Venugopal Veeravalli, Cornell University
Daniel Walczyk, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
 

NOTE TO MEDIA: Anyone wishing to cover the PECASE awards ceremony should call 202/456-6108 and leave their full name and affiliation, Social Security number and date of birth.  Press enter via the Pennsylvania Avenue NW Gate, proceed to Press Lobby, for 1:45 p.m. escort to OEOB.

Schedule of Events
Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers
Wednesday, February 10, 1999

1:30pm - Awardees and guests arrive at OEOB Pennsylvania Avenue entrance for clearance.
2:00pm - Colloquium begins in Room 450
2:00pm - Dr. Clifford Gabriel, Deputy to the OSTP Associate Director for Science gives opening remarks, welcome, congratulations, and introduces Dr. Bienenstock.
2:15pm - Dr. Arthur Bienenstock, OSTP Associate Director for Science gives the keynote address to the awardees.
3:05pm - Symposium ends. Brief break.
3:30pm - Awards ceremony begins in Room 450. Welcome by Dr. Arthur Bienenstock, introduces Dr. Lane.
3:30pm - Remarks by Dr. Neal Lane, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.  Dr. Bienenstock introduces Dr. Mary Clutter, Assistant Director, NSF, Directorate of Biological Sciences and Dr. Wendy Baldwin, Deputy Director for Extramural Research, NIH, who will read the citations.

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