STEVEN J. GITOMER
2003 Richard F. Shea Award

The 2003 Richard F. Shea Awardee is Steven J. Gitomer. The award, this year, recognizes Steve Gitomer for his contributions to the IEEE NPSS for 20 years as Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science. Steve’s biosketch is given below. IEEE NPSS’s Richard F. Shea Award recognizes an individual who has given exemplary service to the IEEE NPSS. The Shea Award was established in 1986, with Richard F. Shea the first recipient of the award named in his honor for a “lifetime of service to IEEE NPSS.” Since that time, the award has been presented annually to outstanding members of the IEEE NPSS: 1987 - Louis Costrell, 1988 - Lee J. Wagner, 1989 - John A. Martin, 1990 - Julian Forster, 1991 - Paul L. Phelps Jr., 1992 - J. Leon Shohet, 1993 - Igor Alexeff, 1994 - W. Kenneth Dawson, 1994 - John F. Osborn, 1996 - John Walter, 1997 - Harold L. Flescher, 1998 - A. Bertrand Brill, 1999 - Raymond S. Larsen, 2000 - Orhan Nalcioglu, 2001 - Vernon G. Price, and 2002 - Peter N. Clout.

Dr. Steven J. Gitomer received his Bachelors (1964) and Masters (1966) Degrees from The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) and the Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1969. From 1969 to 1973, he was a member of the faculty of the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Since 1974, he has been a member of the technical staff of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. His research interests have been primarily in the areas of laser interaction with matter, plasma simulation, and free-electron lasers.

From 1991 to 1993, Dr. Gitomer served a change-of-station assignment at the US. Department of Energy’s Office of Arms Control (Washington, DC) where his work focused on implementation of the Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT) and the establishment of the science and technology centers in Russia and Ukraine. In 1994 and 1995, he served short term U.S. Department of State assignments in Washington, DC and Kiev, Ukraine involving the founding and establishment of the ISTC and STCU. He has been a member of U.S. delegations to the TTBT, ISTC and STCU on dozens occasions.

Since 1993, he has been successively a member of Los Alamos’ Nonproliferation and International Security (NIS) Division’s Center for International Security Affairs, Russian Nonproliferation Programs Office, and Counter Nuclear Terrorism Program Office. He is currently a staff member and project leader in the Safeguards Systems Group of Los Alamos’ Nuclear Nonproliferation (N) Division.

Dr. Gitomer has current responsibilities as: U.S. Member of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC, Moscow) Scientific Advisory Committee; Senior Science Advisor to the U.S. Department of State for the Science Centers in Russia (ISTC) and in Ukraine (STCU, Kiev); and principal Los Alamos point-of-contact for the ISTC, STCU, and Lab-to-Lab interactions with the FSU (Former Soviet Union).

Dr. Gitomer has published nearly fifty papers in plasma physics and laser fusion. He is a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), was awarded the IEEE Centennial Medal in 1984, and the IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000. He has held leadership positions in the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS) including Vice President, Secretary, and Editor-in-Chief. He has served as well in the NPSS’ Plasma Science and Applications Committee as Chairman, Secretary, and ICOPS Chairman He presently serves as Editor of IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, a post he has held since 1984.

Steve Gitomer can be reached at the Nuclear Nonproliferation (N) Division, Safeguards Systems Group, N-4, Mail Stop E541, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545; Phone: +1 505 667-4352; Fax: +1 505 667-0966; E-Mail: sgitomer@lanl.gov.