DOE CSGF Alumnus Recognized by President Obama as an Outstanding Early-Career Scientist

Contact: Mary Ann Leung
515-956-3696
leung@krellinst.org

Ames, Iowa (July 27, 2009) — The Krell Institute is pleased to announce that Oliver Fringer, an alumnus of the Department of Energy's Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) program, was recently named a recipient of the 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Dr. Fringer, a DOE CSGF fellow from 1997-2001, is now an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University.

In a July 9 press release, President Barack Obama named Fringer as one of 100 superior beginning researchers, "the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers." As a result, Dr. Fringer will receive up to a five-year research grant to further his study in support of critical government missions. He − along with the other distinguished awardees representing nine federal departments and agencies − will receive the award as part of a White House ceremony in the fall.

"It is an honor and a privilege to receive this award from President Obama, who is strongly committed to the advancement of science and engineering research and education in America. This type of commitment from our leaders is what continues to drive the success of the DOE CSGF, which shaped the way I think about science and engineering and ultimately led me on a path to receive the PECASE," Dr. Fringer noted.

Jointly funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration, the DOE CSGF provides up to four years of support to students pursuing a doctoral degree in areas of study that focus on the use of high-performance computing technology to solve complex problems in science and engineering. While a fellow pursuing his doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, Fringer's research focused on computational fluid dynamics for environmental flows. He completed a 12-week practicum experience at Los Alamos National Lab in 1998 and earned his Ph.D. in 2003.

Eight years after completing his fellowship, Dr. Fringer continues to support and remain involved with the DOE CSGF program. He has served as Stanford University's DOE CSGF coordinator since 2003, and in March of this year, one of his current doctoral students, Sean Vitousek, was selected to join the newest group of fellows.

About the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers: Established by President Clinton in 1996, the awards are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Read The White House's official press release.

###