Supporting DOE’s mission to recognize outstanding scientists, engineers
Support included two peer reviews and three award ceremonies
On Aug. 1, 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy held a ceremony to honor the 13 winners of the 2011 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), an annual award program that recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their independent research careers. In FY12, ORAU coordinated a peer review panel to support the DOE Office of Science’s nominee selection for the 2013 PECASE awards. In addition to PECASE, ORAU peer review experts provided DOE’s Office of Science with peer review and award ceremony support for both the Ernest Lawrence and Enrico Fermi Awards. Photo courtesy of DOE.
Through a contract to manage DOE’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ORAU peer review experts completed coordination support of several award programs for the DOE Office of Science including the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers; the Ernest Lawrence Award; and the Enrico Fermi Award. This support included two peer reviews and three award ceremonies in FY12, where President Obama and Secretary Chu presented the awards.
Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers
The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Peer Review panel for the Office of Deputy Director for Science Programs was held Aug. 14-15, 2012, in the ORAU’s Arlington, Virginia, facility. Fifty-one investigators from the top proposals in the 2011 Office of Science Early Career Research Programs competition were considered for PECASE by a 12-person, cross-disciplinary external review panel. Of the 51 nominees, the Office of Science will likely nominate five to six this year. The PECASE Award will be presented in a ceremony at the White House and a ceremony at DOE in 2013. ORAU staff coordinated the peer review and provided all meeting logistics and travel support. PeerNet, ORAU’s automated peer review system, was used to capture the review comments and scores.
Fermi Awards
The 2010-11 Fermi Award Ceremony was held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on May 7, 2012. In addition to managing the website for the nominations and planning the peer review of nominations, ORAU coordinated the venue, audiovisual, and reception for the ceremony, as well as managed travel for the recipients and their spouses attending the event. As a Presidential award that is one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. Government, the Fermi Award provides recipients with a citation signed by the President of the United States and the Secretary of Energy, a medal bearing the likeness of Enrico Fermi, and an honorarium of $25,000.
Lawrence Awards
On May 21, 2012, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu presented the Lawrence Award to nine distinguished scientists at the 2011 Lawrence Award Ceremony held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. ORAU assisted with the planning and organizing of the awards ceremony venue and reception for 275 awardees. The recipients received a citation signed by the Secretary of Energy, a metal bearing the likeness of Ernest Lawrence, and a $20,000 honorarium.