4 December 2003

Plainsboro, New Jersey -- Arthur Brooks, an engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), is this year's PPPL Distinguished Engineering Fellow. In November, he was honored during a ceremony and reception at the Laboratory.

PPPL recognized Brooks for "outstanding engineering accomplishments in the areas of electromagnetic, thermal-hydraulic, and structural analysis for numerous experimental devices and design studies, including the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR), the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX), and the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX); and most recently, for pioneering the development of electromagnetic codes that were pivotal in the design of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX)." TFTR operated at PPPL from 1982 to 1997; TPX was designed, but not built; NSTX, a national collaborative effort, is presently operating at PPPL; NCSX, also a national collaborative effort, is being designed and expected to begin operating at PPPL in 2007.

"Art's list of contributions to the Laboratory's projects includes all of our large-scale facilities. He has made critical, creative contributions to every one of them," said PPPL Director Rob Goldston.

Brooks received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from The City College of New York in 1975, graduating magna cum laude. He received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York in 1979. Brooks came to PPPL in 1976 as a subcontractor to support the design of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). In 1986, he joined PPPL's Engineering Analysis Division. Brooks is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He resides in Plainsboro.

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 a hot ionized gas, or plasma, as the fuel for fusion energy production. Scientists hope eventually to use fusion energy for the generation of electricity.

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

Downloadable print-quality photo of Mr. Arthur Brooks. Resolution is 300 dpi, print size is approximately 3.3 inches wide by 3.8 inches high, file type is jpeg, and file size is 948 KB. Photo by Elle Starkman, PPPL.