June 2, 1998

The Fusion Power Associates (FPA) Board of Directors has announced recipients of its 1998 Leadership and Distinguished Career Awards for 1998. The Board also announced that it will give Special Awards for Public Service to three members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

LEADERSHIP AWARDS

The 1998 Leadership Awards will go to Dr. Hermann A. Grunder, Director of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility,and to Prof. John P. Holdren, Director, Program in Science, Technology and Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Dr. Grunder is recognized for his leadership of a panel of the DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) that provided guidance on future U. S. participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Project (ITER). Prof. Holdren is recognized for his leadership of two panels of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) that assessed fusion and national energy R&D policies.

Fusion Power Associates Leadership Awards have been given annually since 1980 to individuals who have shown outstanding leadership qualities in accelerating the development of fusion.

DISTINGUISHED CAREER AWARDS

The 1998 Distinguished Career Awards will go to Dr. D. Bruce Montgomery, Dr. Tihiro Ohkawa and Dr. Paul H. Rutherford.

Dr. Montgomery began his career in fusion at MIT in 1969 and became Associate Director of the MIT Plasma Fusion Center in 1978. He is a recognized expert in all aspects of magnet engineering, and contributed to the engineering design of many fusion devices, including ITER. He retired from MIT in 1996 and is currently President of MTECHNOLOGY, Inc., an engineering services company. He was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Dr. Ohkawa joined the fusion group at General Atomics in 1960, eventually becoming Vice President for Fusion and Advanced Technology. He was the inventor of the Doublet fusion concept that led to the highly successful DIII-D device, which is the largest U. S. fusion experiment currently in operation. He is well known for his innovative fusion ideas, which are documented in 175 publications and 50 patents. He received the Maxwell Award of the American Physical Society (1979) and the Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award (1984). He is currently President of TOYO Technologies, Inc.

Dr. Rutherford joined the staff of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in 1965. At PPPL, he served as Head of the Theoretical Division (1974 - 1980) and Associate Director for Research (1980 - 1995). He has made many outstanding contributions to the theory of fusion plasmas and was a recipient of the Department of Energy's coveted E.O. Lawrence Award (1983). Since 1992, he has served as Chair of the ITER Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), providing advice on difficult scientific and engineering trade-offs during the design phase.

Fusion Power Associates Distinguished Career Awards have been given annually since 1987 to individuals who have made distinguished career contributions to fusion development.

SPECIAL AWARDS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

Special Awards for Public Service will be presented to Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-MD), Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), and Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN).

Representatives Bartlett and Roemer are recognized for their efforts over the past several years to raise the level of awareness of the promise of fusion as a future energy source among their colleagues in the House of Representatives. In particular, their leadership in securing signatures of their colleagues on joint letters describing the needs and promise of fusion has provided a key public service in educating other members of Congress on fusion issues.

Representative Freylinghuysen is recognized for the key role he has played as a member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water, House Committee on Appropriations. His knowledge and enthusiasm for fusion research has been crucial in convincing other members of the committee of the value of fusion research and its potential contribution to the nation as a future energy source.

Fuson Power Associates Special Awards have been given out periodically since 1980 to recognize individuals who have made important special contributions to fusion or to Fusion Power Associates.

EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING AWARD

The recipient of Fusion Power Associates 1998 Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award will be announced at a later date.