Argonne researchers receive Presidential Early Career Awards
ARGONNE, Ill. (June 13, 2005) — Physicist John Arrington and computer scientist
Robert B. Ross of the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory
today received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
(PECASE) to recognize their contribution to the advancement of science.
The Presidential Awards are intended to recognize and nurture some of
the finest scientists and engineers who, while early in their research careers,
show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge
during the 21st century. The Presidential Award is the highest honor bestowed
by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning
their independent careers.
“The Department of Energy is proud that these researchers are making important
contributions, in a wide range of fields, to innovation and technology for
energy, economic and national security,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman
said. “If the outstanding efforts of these scientists and engineers are
any indication of the future, I have no doubt they will ensure America's scientific
leadership far into the next century.”
Arrington's work is helping to shape our understanding of the core of an atom.
At one-trillionth of the volume of an atom, the nucleus contains 99.9 per cent
of the mass. The nucleus is not a calm in the eye of an atomic storm as once
perceived, but a violent core with some protons and neutrons moving at more
than half the speed of light. Even slower-moving protons must change direction
a billion times every trillionth of a second, Arrington said.
Prior to joining Argonne, Arrington conducted research at Thomas Jefferson
National Accelerator Facility in Newport News , Va. as a graduate student with
the California Institute of Technology.
Ross' research in data storage techniques addresses the obstacles of getting
data into and out of parallel computers fast enough to avoid severe bottlenecks.
Computers with mammoth needs for data storage, some with 10,000 processors,
use Ross' file storage system.
“I started in the area of parallel file systems in 1994. High-performance
computing was producing huge amounts of data – hundreds of gigabytes to terabytes – that
had to be managed, stored, and analyzed rapidly and efficiently,” said Ross.
To address this problem, he led the development of a parallel virtual file
system and, for maximum impact, made it freely available as open-source software.
The code Ross wrote is still used by industry and universities for computational
science and data-processing applications.
“My first involvement in national labs was while I was a student at Clemson
University. Rajeev Thakur of Argonne invited me to work with him for a few
weeks at a time,” said Ross. After graduation, Ross joined Argonne's parallel
tools team, applying his expertise to large parallel systems such as Argonne's
Jazz cluster, IBM's BG/L, and Cray's Red Storm. Ross is also spearheading the
design of a new-generation code that will provide increased scalability, reliability,
and performance on advanced computer systems. His work is helping users worldwide
overcome the input/output bottleneck that has hampered performance on parallel
computers.
Arrington and Ross both attended a ceremony in Washington D.C. today to honor
their achievements. They were among 58 researchers supported by eight federal
departments and agencies receiving the Presidential Award. Each award winner
received a citation, a plaque and a commitment for continued funding of their
work from their agency for five years. John Marburger, Director of the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, presented the awards.
Argonne National Laboratory brings
the world's brightest scientists and engineers together to find exciting and
creative new solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology.
The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic
and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne
researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities,
and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific
problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for
a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed
by UChicago
Argonne, LLC for
the U.S.
Department of Energy's Office
of Science.
For more information, please contact Steve McGregor (630/252-5580
or media@anl.gov) at Argonne.
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