Notre Dame CBE News: Brennecke wins Lawrence award from the Department of Energy

I am extremely pleased to announce that Professor Joan F. Brennecke has been chosen to receive the E. O. Lawrence Award in Environmental Sciences from the Department of Energy. The award (http://www.er.doe.gov/lawrence/index.htm) dates to 1960 and is given in seven categories (on average) every other year (but the last ones were in 2006).
   
This award is administered by the Secretary of Energy and, fittingly, the Energy Secretary Steven Chu called Joan to tell her that she had been selected.


Professor Paul Bohn wrote the successful nomination. 

The award comes with a gold medal, a citation from the Secretary, $50K, and the number of the personal phone line of Dr. Chu ( if Joan saved it on her phone -- or at least his Assistant's which I have written down.)  

It may not be interesting, but I will write the anecdote about how the DOE contacted her.  Apparently the administrative assistant for Dr. Chu had tried Joan's office phone and did not get an answer (which was not surprising because Professor Brennecke was in Washington DC.)  She then called Joan's lab number and got one of her graduate students.  The graduate student called me and said that there was good news for Professor Brennecke and someone from the DOE wanted to talk with her.  I won't give out cell phone numbers for my faculty (a policy which has proven to be sound) so I called Joan to tell her about the request.  I was extremely pleased and surprised when she called me back a couple of hours later saying that she had just talked with the Secretary of Energy! 

Please join me in congratulating Joan!!