Sandia/California is proud of the important contributions that our staff members have made in both the arena of science and technology and in the world at large. We are pleased to highlight a few of the many honors that have been bestowed upon Sandians in recent years.
One of the newest members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is Sandian Jim Miller, who was elected into NAE for his “research on the theory and modeling of combustion chemistry that has led to universally applied codes for combustion modeling.” Jim was one of 65 U.S. members and 9 foreign associates elected on Feb. 8, 2008.
Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
Miller was also honored in 2007 with a special issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, the “James A. Miller Festschrift” (Vol. 111, Issue 19). The term “festschrift” refers to a collection of original papers written to honor a respected academic on an important date — in Miller’s case, his 60th birthday. The articles in Miller’s festschrift were written by his combustion chemistry colleagues and reflect the tremendous impact of Miller’s combustion modeling work.
To quote from the festschrift’s introduction: “Jim Miller is one of the most influential combustion modelers in the world; it is difficult to overestimate the impact that Jim Miller’s work has had on the combustion community. But because of the rigor and detail of his chemistry contributions, his remarkable influence spreads beyond the sphere of combustion to the heart of fundamental gas-phase chemical reaction theory.”
Miller began his Sandia career after receiving his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1974. He was a founding member of the Combustion Research Facility in 1980 and has been recognized as a distinguished member of Sandia’s technical staff since 1989. Miller was honored as a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2004 and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2006. In 2006, he was also awarded the Combustion Institute’s Bernard Lewis Gold Medal “for brilliant research in the field of combustion, particularly on the theory and modeling of combustion chemistry.”
Miller’s research investigates how pollutants are formed in combustion. He also devises chemical kinetic models to enable better emissions control. Miller’s work is highly cited. In fact, two of his research papers are among the most cited articles to ever appear in a combustion journal. In addition, Miller helped develop CHEMKIN, the de facto standard software for modeling chemical kinetics in combustion.
Currently, Miller is working with Stephen Klippenstein of Argonne National Laboratory to study the chemical reactions of multiple, interconnected potential wells and the thermal dissociation of weakly bound free radicals. These reactions play crucial roles in combustion chemistry, atmospheric chemistry, and chemical vapor deposition.
Sandian Rod Whitney recently received the President’s Volunteer Service Award. A letter from President George W. Bush thanked Whitney for his service, noting that “through service to others, you demonstrate the outstanding character of America and help strengthen our country.”
The President’s Volunteer Service Award was created by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.
Rod Whitney and his wife, Jane, at “A Glimmer of Hope,” a fundraiser for DeafHope.
While Whitney says the award was a complete surprise, it was less of a shock to those who knew him well. Over the last year, Whitney volunteered 440 hours, primarily for DeafHope, an organization that his wife, Jane, helped found and where she now serves as legal counsel.
Both Rod and Jane are hearing-impaired. A high fever damaged Rod’s hearing nerves when he was about 3 years old. Hearing loss also runs in Rod’s family.
The mission of DeafHope is to end domestic and sexual violence against Deaf women and children through empowerment, education, and services. Whitney helps DeafHope organize events and promotions. He also volunteers with Clean-Up Earth Day, the Middle School Regional Science Bowl at Las Positas College, and the Deaf Community Center in San Leandro.
Whitney works as an ECAD/MCAD designer in Sandia’s Design Definition Group. He is also a lead librarian for the nuclear weapons complex, serving Sandia and the Kansas City Plant.
The Chinese Institute of Engineers, USA and the National Engineers Week Foundation named Sandian Wen Hsu a recipient of the 2007 Asian American Engineer of the Year award. Hsu was recognized for his outstanding achievements as a professional engineer — he has authored more than 100 publications, holds two patents, and has filed four Sandia technical disclosures — and for his many contributions to the community.
Hsu came to Sandia in 1981 after receiving his Ph.D. in astrophysical sciences from Princeton University. He began work in magnetic-fusion research and made several critical discoveries in edge-plasma physics and plasma–material interactions. In the late 1980s, Hsu developed a molecular-beam, mass-spectrometry diagnostic tool that measured the concentration of reactive chemical species in chemical-vapor deposition reactors with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy.
In the 1990s, Hsu became interested in the impact of science and technology on society and government policies. He participated in the government-initiated U.S./China Lab-to-Lab program to engage Chinese-government decision makers on arms control. Hsu became an expert on the Chinese nuclear industry — its origin, governing bodies, and future direction — and provided briefings for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the State Department, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and many nongovernment organizations.
Hsu is the manager of Sandia’s Remote Sensing and Energetic Materials Department, a multimillion-dollar program to develop fiber lasers. The program’s potential to revolutionize high-power laser technology is well recognized in the international community and has attracted direct funding from DOE, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security.