Remarks prepared for Under Secretary for Science Raymond L. Orbach
Fermi Award Ceremony
National Academy of Sciences
Washington, DC
June 21, 2006

Mr. Secretary, Dr. Rosenfeld, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

Good afternoon. I am Raymond Orbach, Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy, and it is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the National Academy of Sciences for this wonderful occasion.

We are here today to present the Enrico Fermi Award, a Presidential award that honors scientists of international stature for lifetime exceptional achievement in the development, use, or production of energy – fields that Enrico Fermi pioneered.

The Fermi Award is the oldest science and technology award given by the U.S. government, and it is one of the most prestigious science honors in the world.

The Fermi Award includes a citation signed by the President of the United States and the Secretary of Energy, a gold medal, and an honorarium of $375,000.

The Fermi Award was established in 1956 by the Atomic Energy Commission and President Dwight D. Eisenhower to honor Dr. Enrico Fermi, who led the experiment in 1942 that achieved the first nuclear chain reaction and thereby initiated the Atomic Age.

Enrico Fermi has rightly been called “the last of the double-threat physicists,” for he was a genius at creating both fundamental theories and elegant experiments.

During his lifetime, Dr. Fermi made theoretical contributions to every major discipline of physics, solid state physics, astrophysics, particle physics; and he was also a superb experimentalist.

The Fermi Award honors this legacy by recognizing lifetime achievements in related scientific fields.

The selection process for this award is rigorous. We invited more than 4,000 research organization and individuals to nominate candidates. The nominees were reviewed by a panel of leading scientists representing national laboratories, universities, and private sector research organizations. These jurors make a recommendation to the Interagency Awards Committee, comprised of senior science executives from major federal research organizations. That Committee makes a recommendation to the Secretary of Energy, who in turn makes a recommendation to the President, who makes the final decision.

Over the past 50 years, there have been 57 Fermi Award recipients.

From the earliest – John von Neumann, E. O. Lawrence, Glenn Seaborg and Edward Teller – through the most recent – Seymour Sack, John Bahcall and Raymond Davis, Jr., Fermi Award laureates all have benefited mankind through careers marked by exceptional contributions to fundamental science, energy, and technology.

Today we present the Enrico Fermi Award to Dr. Arthur H. Rosenfeld, who, from a distinguished career in experimental particle physics, has brought a unique combination of vision, rigor, and persistence to his multifaceted energy research and public policy career.

One of the objectives of this award is to inspire people through the example of Enrico Fermi.

Two previous Fermi Award winners were themselves inspired by their personal association with Enrico Fermi: Harold Agnew, a 1978 Fermi Award winner, and Richard Garwin, a 1996 Fermi Award recipient, both received their doctorates under Fermi’s direction.

Today a third Fermi acolyte joins the pantheon of Fermi Award laureates. Art Rosenfeld was Enrico Fermi’s last graduate student at the University of Chicago.

Now it is my honor to introduce Under Secretary of Energy David Garman. Under Secretary Garman oversees the Department’s widely diversified portfolio of applied energy research, development, demonstration and deployment activities. These activities include next generation nuclear power reactors, clean coal technologies, hydrogen fuel cells, superconductivity, advanced vehicle technologies, efficient building technologies, and thin film solar photovoltaics to name a few. In addition, Mr. Garman also oversees many of the Department's most difficult challenges including nuclear waste management and the environmental cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, Dave served for four years as Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Before joining the Department of Energy, Mr. Garman served on the personal staff of two United States Senators and on the Professional Staff of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Mr. Garman also represented the Senate leadership at virtually all major negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 1995-2000.

We are especially pleased that one of our Department’s – and our nation’s – leading experts on the environment and energy efficiency is participating in this ceremony.

Please welcome Under Secretary of Energy David Garman.

Closing Remarks:
The Enrico Fermi Award demonstrates to the world that energy-related science continues to benefit humanity. Art Rosenfeld truly embodies this, and I am proud to be a part of this ceremony.

Thank you all for coming out tonight to support Dr. Rosenfeld, the Fermi Award and energy-related science.

This concludes our ceremony, and I now invite you to join us in the Great Hall for a reception in honor of Dr. Rosenfeld.