Two AFOSR-Funded Scientists Awarded National Medals of Science

  • Published
  • By Maria Callier
  • AFOSR Public Affairs (Quantech)
Two Medal of Science Awardees to be honored at the White House July 27th by President George W. Bush have been funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

The National Medal of Science was established by the 86th Congress in 1959 as a Presidential Award to people who are "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences." A committee of distinguished scientists and engineers comprise the selection committee.

Dr. Tobin Marks of Northwestern University is receiving the Medal of Science award because of his pioneering work in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, organo-f-element chemistry, new electronic and photonic materials, and coordination and solid state chemistry.

"AFOSR support was absolutely pivotal in the 'new electronic and photonic material' portion of the research for which the award is being made. In the 1986-1995 time period, I was funded by the AFOSR chemistry Directorate in the areas of electro-active polymers and non-linear optical polymers," Marks said.

"My research group provided new materials concepts and structure-properties understanding needed to maximize materials properties," he said.

Dr. Jan D. Achenbach is an expert on the theory and applications of ultrasonic methods of quantitative non-destructive evaluation of materials and structures. He is the founder and the current Director of the Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention at Northwestern University.

He is being presented the award because of "seminal contributions to engineering research and education in the area of wave propagation in solids and for pioneering the field of quantitative non-destructive evaluation."

"I'm quite confident that my work on laser based ultrasonics played a part in me getting the award. In fact, I don't think it would have been possible without that support, for which I am most grateful," he said.

The White House annually awards two science & technology medals, the National Medal of Technology and the National Medal of Science and when Achenbach receives his honor, it will be his second at the White House. His first was the National Medal of Technology which he received back in 2003.