"We are all enriched by the contributions these researchers have made ranging from understanding the genetic code to measuring the expansion of the universe itself," Secretary Abraham said.
The winners are:
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· C. Jeffrey Brinker, Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
· Claire M. Fraser, The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Md.
· Bruce T. Goodwin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.
· Keith O. Hodgson, Stanford University and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), Stanford, Calif.
· Saul Perlmutter, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif.
· Benjamin D. Santer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.
· Paul J. Turinsky, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
Brinker, a chemist, will receive the award in the Materials Research category for his innovations in sol-gel chemistry to create nanostructured materials that have applications to energy, manufacturing, defense and medicine. Brinker is a senior scientist at Sandia Labs, professor of chemistry and chemical and nuclear engineering at the University of New Mexico and co-director of the University's Center for Micro-Engineered Materials.
Fraser, a biologist, was honored in the Life Sciences category for her contributions to genome analysis technology, its extension to the understanding of microbial diversity and its application to human pathogens. She is president and director of The Institute for Genomic Research.
Goodwin, a physicist, will receive the award in the National Security category for his research focusing on the complex dynamics of the fission triggers of thermonuclear weapons. He is associate director for Defense and Nuclear Technologies at the Livermore Lab.
Hodgson, a chemist and structural biologist, was honored in the Chemistry category for his contributions to the development of synchrotron X-rays to the investigation of biological structure and function. Hodgson is a professor of chemistry at Stanford University and director of SLAC's Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory.
Perlmutter, an astrophysicist, will receive the award in the Physics category for his contributions to the discovery, through careful study of distant supernovae, that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up rather than slowing down. Perlmutter is an astrophysicist in the physics division of the Berkeley Lab.
Santer, a physicist, was honored in the Environmental Science and Technology category for his contributions to understanding the effects of human activities on the Earth's climate. He is a physicist in the Energy and Environment directorate of the Livermore Lab.
Turinsky, a nuclear engineer, will receive the award in the Nuclear Technology category for his contributions to the fuel cycle management of light water reactors that have significantly improved the safety and economics of nuclear power. Turinsky is technical director of North Carolina State University's Electric Power Research Center and head of the university's department of nuclear engineering.
Additional information on the winners and their work is available from their institutions' public affairs offices or the Department of Energy's press office at 202-586-5806.