27 November, 2006 (To download a print-quality photo files, go to the end of this article.)

PPPL Honors Four Researchers

Taik Soo Hahm           Phil Heitzenroeder           Charles Kessel                  Jon Menard

Plainsboro, New Jersey — The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) honored four researchers — Taik Soo Hahm, Philip Heitzenroeder, Charles Kessel, and Jonathan Menard — during a ceremony at the Laboratory on November 20. Menard, a physicist, and Heitzenroeder, an engineer, received the Kaul Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research and Technology Development. Hahm, a physicist, received the PPPL Distinguished Research Fellow Award and Kessel, an engineer, is this year's PPPL Distinguished Engineering Fellow. Kaul Prize Recipients Menard, an experimental plasma physicist who works primarily on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) at PPPL, was recognized for his ground-breaking work on the stability and sustainment of spherical torus plasmas. A spherical torus (ST) is a particularly compact configuration of a fusion device. Menard's research interests include stability properties of spherical torus plasmas, advanced operating scenarios in the ST, plasma startup, and plasma wave physics. Plasma is a hot, gaseous state of matter used as the fuel to produce fusion energy — the power source of the sun and the stars. After receiving a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992, Menard went on to receive a master's and a Ph.D. in plasma physics from Princeton University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, in 1994 and 1998, respectively. He conducted post-doctoral research at PPPL before joining the research staff in 1999. Among his honors, Menard received the 2002 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for performing studies to optimize the stability of fusion plasmas and providing the heart of the physics basis for a new, spherical plasma fusion reactor. Menard also received the "Best Student Paper" award from the American Nuclear Society Fusion Energy Division in 1998, the Princeton University Honorific Fellowship in 1996, and the U.S. Department of Energy Magnetic Fusion Science Fellowship in 1993. Menard lives in West Windsor Township. Heitzenroeder received the Kaul Prize for "leadership in the development of advanced manufacturing technologies for stellarator components." Stellarators are fusion devices. Heitzenroeder is involved in the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) being built at PPPL. He joined PPPL in 1972 as an engineer in the Coil Branch. During his career at PPPL, he contributed to the engineering design of many of PPPL's fusion research devices and served in a number of management positions. He is presently the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Division. He received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1969. Heitzenroeder is a resident of Bordentown. Princeton University awards the Kaul Prize to recognize a recent outstanding technical achievement in plasma physics or technology development by a full-time, regular employee of PPPL. It includes a cash award of $5,000 for each individual. Nominations for the award are submitted to the Prize Selection Committee, which includes the Princeton University Provost, the Chair of the Princeton University Research Board, the PPPL Director, PPPL Deputy Director, and PPPL Chief Scientist. This is the ninth time the prize has been given. Former PPPL Director Ronald C. Davidson endowed the Kaul Prize by giving to Princeton University a portion of the gift he received as the 1993 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Science, Education, and Physics from the Kaul Foundation. PPPL Distinguished Fellows Hahm received the Research Fellow Award in recognition of his fundamental contributions to the understanding of plasma turbulence and confinement in toroidal systems, and for his leadership in promoting worldwide collaborations of experiment, theory, and simulation. Toroidal systems refer to a type of experimental fusion device. Hahm is the Head of the Transport and Turbulence Science Focus Group at PPPL and is the group leader in analytic theory at the Lab's Theory Department. He joined PPPL's research staff in 1986 after receiving a B.S. in physics from Seoul National University in Korea in 1980 and a Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University in 1984, and spending two years as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin from 1984 to 1986. Hahm was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1995. He lives in West Windsor Township. Kessel was recognized for his pioneering contributions to the field of plasma engineering and simulation. He was among the first to identify specialized plasma configurations, which have become the basis of advanced tokamak design. His work continues to be at the leading edge of toroidal confinement scenario modeling worldwide. Kessel is a resident of Hopewell Township, with wife Candice and two children, Charlie and Alex. He received a B.S. degree in nuclear engineering and a B.S. degree in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1982. He received a Ph.D. in fusion engineering and applied plasma physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1987. He is a Principal Engineer at PPPL, and has been at the Laboratory since 1987. He received the David J. Rose Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award in 1994. His research interests are integrated simulations of tokamak plasmas, plasma equilibrium and stability, advanced tokamak physics, and the integration of engineering and physics in tokamak design. A tokamak is a configuration of an experimental fusion machine. The Distinguished Research and Engineering Fellow Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, was created to recognize members of the Laboratory's research staff, as well as engineering and scientific staff, for their accomplishments. Fellows receive one-time gifts of $5,000 and qualify for priority in regard to their research and engineering programs. 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. At PPPL, physicists use a magnetic field to confine plasma. Scientists hope eventually to use fusion energy for the generation of electricity. 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
High resolution photos: T.S. Hahm (300 dpi; 1012 x 1400, JPEG; 1.3 MB.) Photo by Elle Starkman. Philip Heitzenroeder (200 dpi; 918 x 1200; JPEG; 636 KB.) Photo by Elle Starkman. Charles Kessel (200 dpi; 917 x 1237; JPEG; 524 KB.) Photo by Elle Starkman. Jonathan Menard (200 dpi; 1080 x 1237; JPEG; 776 KB.) Photo by Elle Starkman.

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

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Created: 27 November 2006 Send questions or comments to: Anthony R. DeMeo at ademeo@pppl.gov