Joel G. Bennett was honored for 24 years of seminal work in research areas such as reactor safety, superplastic forming and advanced modeling for composite materials. His most recent accomplishment is in predicting the ignition of high explosives that can occur because of mechanical insult.
Bennett is a mechanical engineer in the Engineering Science and Applications Division of Los Alamos, a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory operated by the University of California.
During his 24 years at Los Alamos, he has authored or co-authored about 80 technical papers. His most recent effort is developing the micromechanical ignition model used to analyze explosive accidents that could occur during the handling of weapons systems.
In additional to his technical duties, Bennett also participated extensively in education activities, including serving as an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University, University of Illinois, West Virginia University and University of New Mexico.
Bennett earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in engineering mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.