Director selects newest Laboratory Fellows

Contact: Todd Hanson, (505) 665-2085 (99-162)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Nov. 1, 1999 -- Los Alamos National Laboratory Director John Browne has selected five outstanding Los Alamos researchers as Laboratory Fellows, the Laboratory's highest scientific honor.

The honor is bestowed upon those technical staff members who sustain a high level of excellence in programs important to the Laboratory's mission, make important scientific discoveries that lead to their widespread use or have become recognized as leaders in their scientific fields both within and outside of the Laboratory.

The 1999 Fellows are Aloysius Arko of the Condensed Matter and Thermal Physics Group in the Materials Science and Technology Division; Shiyi Chen of the Center for Nonlinear Studies in the Theoretical Division; Shimshon Gottesfeld of the Electronics and Electrochemistry Group in the Materials Science and Technology Division; Steve Lamoreaux of the Neutron Science and Technology Group in the Physics Division; and Robert Weaver of the Thermonuclear Applications Group in the Applied Theoretical and Computational Physics Division.

Arko received the title of Laboratory Fellow in recognition for pioneering an entirely new means for studying the electronic structure of plutonium, developing the Laser Plasma Light Source, and his landmark achievements in the field of high-temperature superconductivity.

Chen was recognized for his breakthroughs in simulating turbulent flows, which have advanced the field of direct numerical simulation and understanding of turbulence at the deepest level.

Gottesfeld has attained international recognition in the field of fuel cell technology, including the first complete treatment of the basic elements of water management in fuel cells.

Lamoreaux was recognized for his many important, pioneering experimental studies of fundamental symmetries using neutrons and atoms and his successful first observation of the Casimir force.

Weaver's efforts to improve the predictive capability of radiation-hydrodynamics calculations and his standing as one of the foremost experts in the physics of thermonuclear weapons are widely acknowledged throughout both the national and international scientific communities.

Seventeen nominations were made for the rank of Fellow during this year's competition. The 14 members of the Fellows Screening Committee reviewed the nominations and submitted their recommendations to Browne. The director selected the top five candidates for the honor of Fellow.

Only about two percent of the Laboratory's current technical staff members can hold the title of Fellow at any one time. Fellows are expected to continue to play an important scientific or technical role in the Laboratory and to contribute in significant ways to Laboratory programs and initiatives.