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NYSTAR CONGRATULATES PRESIDENTIAL AWARD WINNERS
New York Ranks Second in Nation in Top Science Honors

Russell W. Bessette, M.D., Executive Director of the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), congratulated seven New York scientists who were recently named by President Bush to receive the nation’s highest honor for professionals at the start of their research careers, and noted that New York Sate ranks second in the nation in the number of scientists winning this prestigious honor.

“New York’s high ranking in the number of these important early career awards is a strong indication of the innovative vitality of the State’s technology and research industry,” Dr. Bessette said. “As a result of his initiatives to foster the State’s high technology economy, Governor Pataki has helped provide a stronger foundation for continued scientific discoveries in New York.”

The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) honors the most promising researchers in the nation within their fields. The selected scientists and engineers are recognizing for their exceptional promise for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge during the twenty-first century.

New York trailed California by only one award in this year’s highly coveted competition. The awardees from New York include:

• Edward S. Buckler, IV, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, at Cornell University, for development and adaptation of novel gene mapping strategies that enable exploitation of the natural variation and diversity evolved over the history of a crop to enhance quality and yield, and for the effective and extensive transfer of these strategies to scientists in academia, government, and industry;

• John C. Howell of the University of Rochester for outstanding research accomplishments in atomic and optical physics, entangled photons, quantum information theory and experiments, ultra-low light level nonlinear optics, single photon detection, coherent atom-light interactions, quantum measurement theory, cloning, and fundamental tests of quantum mechanics, and for numerous guest lectures to both domestic and international audiences;

• Paul Vaska of Brookhaven National Laboratory for leadership and scientific innovation in the field of medical imaging physics, particularly the development of novel instrumentation and techniques to improve the capabilities of positron emission tomography in medicine, and for providing research opportunities and scientific mentorship to students at the high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels;

• Zhangbu Xu of Brookhaven National Laboratory for pioneering scientific research and technical developments in the study of resonances, open charm and particle identified Cronin effect in relativistic heavy ion collisions, and for professionalism in mentoring graduate students;

• Derrick T. Brazill of the City University of New York Hunter College for significant contributions to understanding how cells sense their surroundings, and for incorporating his research into teaching and mentoring of minority students;

• Marianella Casasola of Cornell University for work on the influences of children's language environments on their development of spatial concepts, and for mentoring and community activities; and

• Michael J. Garvin, II of Columbia University for the development of new ideas and tools to make better civil infrastructure decisions, and for activities involving continuing education workshops and middle school outreach efforts.

Governor Pataki and the Legislature have advanced several major initiatives to expand high-technology business and job-creation opportunities in New York. The Governor's Centers of Excellence initiative, along with Strategically Targeted Academic Research Centers and Advanced Research Centers, focuses on critical emerging technologies that are expected to become major high-tech growth areas. Each center is designed to complement other specialized academic centers in a seamless network of high-tech research and economic development.

Since 1995, the State has fostered the growth of New York's high-tech and biotech industries by supporting the investment of more than $1 billion in the State's technology business sector and world-class research laboratories and academic centers.