7 May 2004
7 May 2004
(To download a print-quality file of the photo of Dr. Jonathan Menard, go to the end of this article.)
Plainsboro, New Jersey -- At a White House ceremony on May 4, Princeton scientist Jonathan Menard received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Menard, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), was among 58 researchers supported by 11 federal agencies who received the award. The Presidential award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers. Each Presidential award winner received a citation, a plaque, and a commitment for continued funding of their work from their agency for five years. Dr. John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, presented the awards.
Before the White House ceremony, the seven researchers described their work at a ceremony at DOE headquarters hosted by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham.
"Each of these researchers has made a distinctive contribution both as an independent investigator and as a team member," Secretary Abraham said. "Individually and collectively, they continue to be sources of invaluable technical direction and expertise in support of the department's research and development and national security missions."
At the DOE event, Menard was among five of the scientists from DOE national laboratories who received the DOE's Office of Science Early Career Scientist and Engineer Award.
Both the Presidential and Department of Energy awards cite Menard 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. Plasma is a hot, ionized gas used as the fuel for the production of fusion energy.
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 "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. He is a resident of West Windsor Township.
PPPL, funded by the DOE 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.
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 Dr. Jonathan Menard. Resolution is 300 dpi, print size is approximately 3.6 inches wide by 4.1 inches high, file type is jpeg, and file size is 1.0 MB. Photo by Elle Starkman, PPPL.
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