21 November 2001

Plainsboro, New Jersey -- Allan Reiman and Douglas McCune, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), are this year's PPPL Distinguished Research and Engineering Fellows, respectively. On November 20, the two were honored during a ceremony and reception at the Laboratory.

Reiman, a physicist at PPPL, was cited for his numerous contributions in diverse topics in plasma physics, including the theory of three-dimensional plasmas found in fusion devices called stellarators, and for his leadership in developing innovative approaches to the stabilization of plasmas in the design of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment.

At PPPL, physicists use a magnetic field to confine a hot, ionized gas, called plasma, which serves as the fuel for the production of fusion energy. Scientists hope eventually to use fusion to produce electricity.

McCune, Co-head of the Laboratory's Computational Plasma Physics Group, was honored for seminal contributions to computational plasma physics, particularly in the area of high-level data analysis in fusion experiments, and for his more recent work in establishing and leading the PPPL Computational Plasma Physics Group, which has been vital to the development of modern computational physics and collaborative data analysis capability for both PPPL and the Fusion Energy Science Community.

"Allan is the Laboratory's leader in the theory of three-dimensional plasmas, such as in stellarators, which vary in cross section around the torus. He has been one of the leaders of the effort to design the National Compact Stellarator Experiment, which recently had a very successful Physics Validation Review, followed by strong approval from the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee. Allan did a fantastic job pulling this effort together at its inception, and has provided many of the critical analyses which have helped it succeed through many reviews," said PPPL Director Rob Goldston.

Goldston said, "Doug McCune combines great skill in software engineering with a deep understanding of plasma physics, and the process of experimental research in our field. His data interpretation code, TRANSP, has become the standard for making sense of high-level data from fusion experiments around the world. He has done an outstanding job of maintaining a major code system on multiple platforms, and of providing an avenue for a wide range of U.S. and international collaborators to make additions and improvements."

The Distinguished Research and Engineering Fellow Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, was created to recognize members of the Laboratory's research and engineering and scientific staff for their accomplishments. Fellows receive one-time gifts of $5,000 and qualify for priority in regard to their research and engineering programs.

PPPL, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source. Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. In the interior of stars, matter is converted into energy by the fusion, or joining, of the nuclei of light atoms to form heavier elements.

For further information, please contact:

Anthony R. DeMeo
Head
Information Services
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(609) 243-2755
ademeo@pppl.gov

Patricia Wieser
Information Services
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(609) 243-2757
pwieser@pppl.gov

Downloadable print-quality photo of Douglas McCune. Resolution is 200 dpi, print size is approximately 4 inches wide by 5 inches high, file type is jpeg, and file size is 420 kB. Photo by Elle Starkman, PPPL.

Downloadable print-quality photo of Dr. Allan Reiman. Resolution is about 160 dpi, print size is approximately 3 inches wide by 4 inches high, file type is jpeg, and file size is 325 kB. Photo by Elle Starkman, PPPL.