Widely recognized as the “Oscars of Innovation,” the R&D 100 Awards are given annually to the top 100 most significant scientific and technological innovations worldwide. Winners are selected by an independent judging panel and the editors of R&D Magazine.
This year’s judging panel is comprised of 54 professionals from across the globe, each of whom boasts an impressive collection of accomplishments and honors. Due to their technical expertise and achievements in their respective disciplines, NNSS staff members Paul Guss, Cameron Hawkins and Marylesa Howard will join the panel for the second year in a row to help identify the top 100 revolutionary technologies.
Award finalists will be announced on Aug. 13 at rdworldonline.com, while the winners and medalists in the Special Recognition categories and new Professional Award categories will be announced the following week.
Congratulations to our NNSS team members for your prestigious appointments, and best of luck in your judging duties!
Paul P. Guss, Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Nevada National Security Sites
Paul Guss is a distinguished member of the technical staff working for Mission Support and Test Services LLC (MSTS). Previously, he served as the Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) site representative for the SDRD Program, a dedicated research program for the advancement of the technologies employed at MSTS and the NNSS. Guss has been an active MSTS team member developing unmanned aircraft system capabilities for the NNSS. Additionally, he has been a principal investigator of several nuclear detector research investigations and served on several Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) emergency response teams. He participated in the Fukushima response and led the DOE Consequence Management planning effort for the 2011 NASA launch of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity. He maintains currency for several billets on the NNSA Office of Emergency Response Consequence Management Advance Command Team. Guss has more than 30 years of scientific and management experience with the NNSA Nevada Field Office management and operations contractors. His prior experience includes several leadership and technical positions, including operating the Joint Base Andrews Office of the RSL, and leading several operational and research projects. Guss earned his bachelor’s degree in physics at Gettysburg College and his doctorate in nuclear physics at Duke University.
Cameron Hawkins, Senior Principal Engineer and Scorpius Commissioning Control Account Manager, Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments, Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Nevada National Security Sites
Hawkins has worked for the Nevada National Security Sites since March 2004. She is a senior principal engineer and is currently working as the Scorpius commissioning control account manager (CAM) for the Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments project. She is also the CAM for the C3 Launcher, a single-stage gas launcher experimental platform with diagnostics for shock physics experiments. Prior to being employed at the NNSS, Hawkins spent four years collaborating with scientists and engineers from Sandia National Laboratories on a Stockpile Stewardship project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In 2013, she became a full-time instructor for three semesters at Boise State University in the Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering department before returning to Las Vegas. Hawkins has multiple publications pertaining to material characterization and analysis. Hawkins obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2001 and her master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2003, both from UNLV. She completed her doctorate in mechanical engineering at UNLV in 2010.
Marylesa Howard, Manager, Scientist and Mathematician, Physical Sciences, Science and Technology Directorate, Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Nevada National Security Sites
Award-winning mathematician Marylesa Howard leads a team of scientists in data analysis for physics applications in the Science and Technology Directorate at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS). She joined the NNSS as a scientist in 2013 and has held the roles of supervisor, principal scientist and manager. While maintaining a research portfolio in image segmentation method development and Bayesian reconstruction methods for the NNSS’ Site-Directed Research and Development program, Howard also led signal processing efforts for photonic Doppler velocimetry, a diagnostic for understanding the speed of a moving surface. Howard is an influential leader among scientists in Nevada, at the U.S. national laboratories and at universities across the country. She is a champion for women in STEM, helping to direct graduate research and guide the careers of women around the country. Howard also works with universities to bring real-world scientific problems to students nationwide. Howard earned a bachelor’s from George Fox University and a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Montana, all in the field of mathematics.
Learn more about the R&D 100 Awards by visiting the R&D World website.