6 September, 2005

PPPL's Meade and Schmidt Receive Department of Energy Honors Both Given DOE Distinguished Associate Awards at Retirement Luncheon

Plainsboro, New Jersey — Plainsboro, New Jersey — Dale Meade and John Schmidt, scientists who recently retired from the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), each have received the DOE Distinguished Associate Award. Meade, who was at PPPL for a total of 34 years, was Program Head of the PPPL Off-site Research Department and led the Next Step Options Activity. Schmidt, who came to PPPL in 1969, was Head of the Off-site Research Department. They received the awards from N. Anne Davies, Associate Director for Fusion Energy Sciences at the DOE Office of Science, during their joint retirement luncheon earlier this summer. Meade is a resident of Princeton Township and Schmidt is a resident of West Windsor Township. The award citation for Meade states,"In recognition of your outstanding career in fusion research that includes major accomplishments in leading the Poloidal Divertor Experiment, bringing the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor into a state of readiness to conduct high power deuterium-tritium experiments, designing a next-step burning plasma physics experiment, and through your boundless energy and advocacy materially advancing fusion research toward the goal of being an effective power source for the Nation and the world." Meade came to PPPL first in 1966 for one year and returned in 1972 after serving as a professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin. From 1986 to 1991, he was Head of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor project and of Experimental Physics in the Research Department, and prior to that headed many experiments. He was Deputy Director of the Laboratory from 1991 to 1997 and led the U.S. Next Step Option activity from 1998 to 2005 that culminated with the design of the Fusion Ignition Research Experiment, or FIRE. Meade received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1961, a master's degree in physics in 1962, and a Ph.D. in physics in 1965, all from the University of Wisconsin. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and received the Fusion Power Associates' Distinguished Career Award in 2005, the University of Wisconsin's Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award in 2002, the Fusion Power Associates' Leadership Award in 1999, the Department of Energy Distinguished Associate Award in 1994, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering Distinguished Service Citation in 1990. The award citation for Schmidt states, "In recognition of your successful career of more than thirty–six years at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. You have made outstanding contributions to fusion research and demonstrated the ability to lead diverse teams of scientists and engineers in producing designs of ground breaking fusion experiments, including the overwhelmingly successful Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor that completed its mission in 1997, the National Spherical Torus Experiment that is currently producing exciting scientific results at PPPL, and the KSTAR Experiment that is being built in Korea based on the design of the Tokamak Physics Experiment effort that you led." Schmidt has more than 32 years of experience in technical management, including more than 24 years organizing and managing the design phase of large fusion energy experiments. In 1997, he served as Interim Director of PPPL during a six-month search for a new Director. During his career at the Laboratory, he was Head of the Advanced Projects Department from 1996 to 2005, Project Director of the Tokamak Physics Experiment from 1992–1995, Head of the Applied Physics Division for eight years, served as a consultant on the International Atomic Energy Agency for three years, and was Project Manager and Project Director of several experiments. Schmidt received a bachelor's degree in engineering physics from South Dakota State University in 1962, and a master's in physics in 1964 and a Ph.D. in physics in 1969, both from the University of Wisconsin. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and was named a Distinguished Engineer by South Dakota State University. PPPL, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source. Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. In the interior of stars, matter is converted into energy by the fusion, or joining, of the nuclei of light atoms to form heavier elements. ****End**** For further information, please contact: Anthony R. DeMeo Head, Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2755 ademeo@pppl.gov Patricia Wieser Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2757 pwieser@pppl.gov

PPPL is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University.

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Created: 9 September, 2005 Send questions or comments to: Anthony R. DeMeo at ademeo@pppl.gov