The CRF is proud to announce Habib Najm as the winner of the 2014 O. W. Adams Award and Lyle Pickett as the winner of the 2014 K. E. Bastress Award. Chris Carlen won the K. R. Hencken Award, which was introduced this year. In addition, Robert Barlow was recognized for receiving the Combustion Institute’s Alfred C. Edgerton Gold Medal.
“The Adams, Bastress, and Hencken awards represent how much we value quality in our work at the CRF,” said CRF director Bob Hwang. “They are a tremendous honor because your peers are the ones voting.”
O. W. Adams Award
Named after Bill Adams, the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) original CRF sponsor, the O. W. Adams Award was established in 1986 and is given every other year to Sandians who have made exemplary research contributions to the CRF. Habib received the 2014 O. W. Adams Award for his deep and long-lasting contributions in a number of areas, notably in direct simulation and analysis of reacting flow with detailed chemistry, algorithms for uncertainty quantification and inference, and computational singular perturbation methods for model reduction in deterministic and stochastic models. His contributions have made an impact throughout the CRF combustion program as well as across Sandia and in the broader international research community.
K. E. Bastress Award
Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Karl E. Bastress, who guided early combustion research activities for DOE, the Bastress Award recognizes Sandians whose exceptional contributions have led to a strong and effective coupling of CRF programs to the needs of U.S. industry. Lyle received the 2014 Bastress Award for his pioneering contributions to understanding fuel spray vaporization, ignition, flame liftoff and stabilization, soot formation, and turbulent spray mixing processes under harsh engine conditions, as well as for creating and leading the internationally acclaimed Engine Combustion Network for collaborative engine fuel spray research.
K. R. Hencken Award
The K. R. Hencken Award recognizes outstanding technical innovation and meticulous laboratory work in support of CRF research. The award is named for Ken Hencken, a longtime innovator of experimental design in the CRF, who made outstanding contributions to several different research programs during his career. Ken’s work always demonstrated a deep technical knowledge of the investigated processes and incorporated the latest electro-optical technologies to achieve the optimal experimental configuration.
Ken was on hand to present the inaugural award to Chris. “I am truly honored to have my name associated with this award,” Ken said. “You truly represent the intent of the award and have set a high benchmark.”
Chris was recognized for his innovative designs that have enabled both the CRF’s Vehicle Technologies and Basic Energy Science combustion programs to have unique experimental capabilities. Chris’s designs have included high-power pulsed light-emitting diodes (LEDs), frequency- and phase-locked high-speed mechanical shutters, field-programmable gate array engine controllers, and the engine laser “phaser.”