The TR100, chosen by the editors of Technology Review and an elite panel of judges, consists of 100 individuals under age 35 whose innovative work in technology has a profound impact on today's world. Nominees are recognized for their contributions in transforming the nature of technology in such industries as biotechnology, computing, energy, nanotechnology, telecommunications and transportation.
Backhaus was chosen for his work in thermoacoustics, and specifically his role in the development of the acoustic Stirling heat engine. Backhaus graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1990 with a degree in engineering/physics. He received his doctorate in physics from the University of California-Berkeley in December 1997. Backhaus came to Los Alamos as a postdoctoral fellow in 1998, and became a technical staff member this year.
Laboratory leadership is pleased with the attention Backhaus is receiving. "Having Scott named as one of the world's top young innovators underscores the Laboratory's commitment to bringing the best and the brightest young scientists to Los Alamos and providing them with the opportunities to work on exciting projects of national importance," said Thomas J. Meyer associate director for strategic research at Los Alamos."
"Innovation and technological change are essential to worldwide economic growth. Now, more than ever, it's important to recognize that there is no one technology driving the next wave of success, but rather several that, when fused together, will create another era of significant change for our society.
The members of this year's TR100 hail from fields such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, wireless, energy, computing and medicine. Each innovator is actively developing the emerging technologies that we feel will profoundly impact our world in the century ahead," said Robert Buderi, editor-in-chief of Technology Review.
TR100's panel of judges includes: Vinton Cerf, WorldCom Corp.; David Tennenhouse, Intel; Gordon Bell, Microsoft; Christina Lampe-Onnerud, TIAX; Stephen Quake, California Institute of Technology; Rodney Brooks, MIT CSAIL; and George Whitesides, Harvard University.
Backhaus will be honored Sept. 24 – 25 at The Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT. Technology Review Inc., an MIT Enterprise, is a monthly magazine about emerging technologies on the verge of commercialization.
Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring safety and confidence in the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction and improving the environmental and nuclear materials legacy of the cold war. Los Alamos' capabilities assist the nation in addressing energy, environment, infrastructure and biological security problems.
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 the Washington Division of URS 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.