The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award was established in 1959 in honor of Ernest Lawrence, a scientist who helped elevate American physics to the status of world leader in the field.
Lawrence was the inventor of the cyclotron, an accelerator of subatomic particles, and a 1939 Nobel Laureate in physics for that achievement. The Radiation Laboratory he developed at Berkeley during the 1930s ushered in the era of "big science", in which experiments were no longer done by an individual researcher and a few assistants on the table-top of an academic lab but by large, multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers in entire buildings full of sophisticated equipment and huge scientific machines. During World War II, Lawrence and his accelerators contributed to the Manhattan Project, and he later played a leading role in establishing the U.S. system of national laboratories, two of which (Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore) now bear his name.
Shortly after Lawrence's death in August 1958, John A. McCone, Chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, wrote to President Eisenhower suggesting the establishment of a memorial award in Lawrence's name. President Eisenhower agreed, saying, "Such an award would seem to me to be most fitting, both as a recognition of what he has given to our country and to mankind, and as a means of helping to carry forward his work through inspiring others to dedicate their lives and talents to scientific effort." The first Lawrence Awards were given in 1960.
The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award is bestowed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy to mid-career scientists and engineers in recognition of exceptional scientific, technical, and/or engineering achievements related to the broad missions of the U.S. Department of Energy and its programs. The Lawrence Award is administered by the Department of Energy's Office of Science.
Each Lawrence Award recipient receives a citation signed by the Secretary of Energy, a gold medal bearing the likeness of Ernest Orlando Lawrence, and a $20,000 honorarium.
Nomination and selection procedures The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Awards honor scientists and engineers, at mid-career, showing promise for the future, for exceptional contributions in research and development supporting the U.S. Department of Energy and its mission to advance the national economic and energy security of the United States.
Beginning in 2011, the awards are given annually. One Lawrence Award is given in each of the following eight fields:
Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Sciences Biological and Environmental Sciences Computer, Information, and Knowledge Sciences Condensed Matter and Materials Sciences Energy Science and Innovation Fusion and Plasma Sciences High Energy and Nuclear Physics National Security and Nonproliferation
The objectives of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Awards are:
to encourage excellence in energy science and technology; to inspire people to dedicate their lives and talents to scientific and technological effort, through the examples of Ernest O. Lawrence and the Lawrence Award laureates; and to highlight for the general public the accomplishments of the U.S. scientific and technological communities associated with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Criteria Eligibility for the Lawrence Award requires that all recipients:
be in the middle of their careers, defined as within 20 years of earning their highest degree*; be citizens of the United States; be recognized for achievement in research principally funded by the U.S. Department of Energy; and be assessed primarily on the scientific impact and technical significance of their work relative to its discipline and/or related mission. (Business management and stewardship acumen, while valued, is not a significant qualification factor used when evaluating a nominee's worthiness.)
Nomination materials Nomination is made by a letter of justification, curriculum vitae, a statement explaining the nominee's connection to DOE support, a no more than 35 word citation, a bibliography of significant publications, and identifying the award category of the nominee (Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Sciences; Biological and Environmental Sciences; Computer, Information, and Knowledge Sciences; Condensed Matter and Materials Sciences; Energy Science and Innovation; Fusion and Plasma Sciences; High Energy and Nuclear Physics; or National Security and Nonproliferation). An individual's nomination is limited to a single category.
Selection The nomination materials for all eligible nominees are objectively studied by independent peer review panels, one for each of eight award categories, and if worthy candidate(s) are identified in the peer review, selection recommendations based upon these findings are made by Federal Program Officials. A concurrence request for any awardees is made to the Secretary of Energy, who holds final discretion over any selection(s).
The reviewers are not empanelled as a Federal Advisory Committee. The identity of all nominators, all nominees, and all peer review panelists remain anonymous. DOE employees must comply with regulations governing conduct of employees codified in 10 CFR Part 1010 and Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch at 5 CFR §2635.
Award laureates
The following people have won the award:
1960 Hendrik Wade Bode Harvey Brooks John S. Foster Jr. Isadore Perlman Norman F. Ramsey Jr. Alvin M. Weinberg
1961 Leo Brewer Henry Hurwitz Jr. Conrad L. Longmire Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky Kenneth E. Wilzbach
1962 Andrew A. Benson Richard Feynman Herbert Goldstein Anthony L. Turkevich Herbert F. York
1963 Herbert J.C. Kouts L. James Rainwater Louis Rosen James M. Taub Cornelius A. Tobias
1964 Jacob Bigeleisen Albert L. Latter Harvey M. Patt Marshall N. Rosenbuth Theos J. Thompson
1965 George A. Cowan Floyd L. Culler Milton C. Edlund Theodore B. Taylor Arthur C. Upton
1966 Harold M. Agnew Ernest C. Anderson Murray Gell-Mann John R. Huizenga Paul R. Vanstrum
1967 Mortimer M. Elkind John M. Googin Allen F. Henry John O. Rasmussen Robert N. Thorn
1968 James R. Arnold E. Richard Cohen Val L. Fitch Richard Latter John B. Storer
1969 Geoffrey F. Chew Don T. Cromer Ely M. Gelbard F. Newton Hayes John H. Nuckolls
1970 William J. Bair James W. Cobble Joseph M. Hendrie Michael M. May Andrew M. Sessler
1971 Thomas B. Cook Robert L. Fleischer Robert L. Hellens P. Buford Price Robert M. Walker
1972 Charles C. Cremer Sidney D. Drell Marvin Goldman David A. Shirley Paul F. Zweifel
1973 Louis Baker Seymour Sack Thomas E. Wainwright James Robert Weir Sheldon Wolff
1974 Joseph Cerny Harold Paul Furth Henry C. Honeck Charles A. McDonald Chester R.Richmond
1975 Evan H. Appelman Charles E. Elderkin William A. Lokke Burton Richter Samuel C. C. Ting
1976 A. Philip Bray James W. Cronin Kaye D. Lathrop Adolphus L. Lotts Edwin D. McClanahan
1977 James D. Bjorken John L. Emmett F. William Studier Gareth Thomas Dean A. Waters
1980 Donald W. Barr B. Grant Logan Nicholas P. Samios Benno P. Schoenborn Charles D. Scott
1981 Martin Blume Yuan Tseh Lee Fred R. Mynatt Paul B. Selby Lowell L. Wood
1982 George F. Chapline, Jr. Mitchell J. Feigenbaum Michael J. Lineberry Nicholas Turro Raymond E. Wildung
1983 James Frederick Jackson Michael E. Phelps Paul H. Rutherford Mark S. Wrighton George B. Zimmerman
1984 Robert W. Conn John J. Dunn Peter L. Hagelstein Siegfried S. Hecker Robert B. Laughlin Kenneth N. Raymond
1985 Anthony P. Malinauskas William H. Miller David R. Nygren Gordon C. Osbourn Betsy Sutherland Thomas A. Weaver
1986 James J. Duderstadt Helen T. Edwards Joe W. Gray C. Bradley Moore Gustavus J. Simmons James L. Smith
1987 James W. Gordon Miklos Gyulassy Sung-Hou Kim James L. Kinsey J. Robert Merriman David E. Moncton
1988 Mary K. Gaillard Richard T. Lahey, Jr. Chain Tsuan Liu Gene H. McCall Alexander Pines Joseph S. Wall
1990 John J. Dorning James R. Norris S. Thomas Picraux Wayne J. Shotts Maury Tigner F. Ward Whicker
1991 Zachary Fisk Richard Fortner Rulon Linford Peter Schultz Richard E. Smalley J. Pace Vandevender
1993 James G. Anderson Robert G. Bergman Alan R. Bishop Yoon I. Chang Robert K. Moyzis John W. Shaner Carl Wieman
1994 John D. Boice, Jr. E. Michael Campbell Gregory J. Kubas Edward William Larsen John D. Lindl Gerard M. Ludtka George F. Smoot John E. Till
1996 Charles R. Alcock Mina J. Bissell Thom H. Dunning, Jr. Charles V. Jakowatz, Jr. Sunil K. Sinha Theofanis G. Theofanous Jorge Luis Valdes
1998 Dan Gabriel Cacuci Joanna S. Fowler Laura H. Greene Neil P. Kelly Steven E. Koonin Mark H. Thiemens Ahmed H. Zewail
2002 C. Jeffrey Brinker Claire M. Fraser Bruce T. Goodwin Keith O. Hodgson Saul Perlmutter Benjamin D. Santer Paul J. Turinsky
2004 Richard B. Elkind Nathaniel J. Fisch Bette Korber Claire Ellen Max Fred N. Mortensen Richard J. Saykally Ivan K. Schuller Gregory W. Swift
2006 Paul Alivisatos and Moungi Bawendi, Materials Research Malcolm J. Andrews, National Security Arup K. Chakraborty, Life Sciences My Hang V. Huynh, Chemistry Marc Kamionkowski, Physics John Zachara, Environmental Science and Technology Steven Zinkle, Nuclear Technology
2009 Joan F. Brennecke William Dorland Omar Hurricane Wim Leemans Zhi-Xun Shen Sunney Xie
2011 Riccardo Betti Paul C. Canfield Mark B. Chadwick David E. Chavez Amit Goyal Thomas P. Guilderson Lois Curfman McInnes Bernard Matthew Poelker Barry F. Smith
2013 Adam P. Arkin Siegfried H. Glenzer Stephen C. Myers John L. Sarrao John C. Wagner Margaret S. Wooldridge
2014 Mei Bai Carolyn R. Bertozzi Pavel Bochev Eric E. Dors Christopher L. Fryer David J. Schlegel Brian D. Wirth Peidong Yang Jizhong (Joe) Zhou
2020 Yi Cui - Energy Science and Innovation Dana M. Dattelbaum - National Security and Nonproliferation Dustin H. Froula - Fusion and Plasma Sciences M. Zahid Hasan - Condensed Matter and Materials Sciences Daniel Kasen - Nuclear Physics Robert B. Ross - Computer, Information, and Knowledge Sciences Susannah G. Tringe - Biological and Environmental Sciences Krista S. Walton - Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Sciences
2021 Matthew C. Beard - Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Sciences Luis Chacón - Fusion and Plasma Sciences Andrew J. Landahl - Computer, Information, and Knowledge Sciences Jennifer Pett-Ridge - Biological and Environmental Sciences Sofia Quaglioni - Nuclear Physics Philip C. Schuster and Natalia Toro - High Energy Physics Rachel A. Segalman - Condensed Matter and Materials Sciences Daniel B. Sinars - National Security and Nonproliferation Jie Xiao - Energy Science and Innovation
External links Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award website