Bethe, Agnew awarded Los Alamos Medal

Contact: Chris Pearcy, cpearcy@lanl.gov, (505) 665-3892

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Oct. 11, 2001 -- The Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory today announced the selection of two preeminent scientists for its first-ever Los Alamos Medal, deemed "the highest honor the Laboratory can bestow on an individual or small group" by Laboratory Director John Browne. Nobel Laureate Hans Bethe and former Laboratory Director Harold Agnew are the first recipients of the medal.

Bethe, who headed the theoretical group at Los Alamos from 1943 to 1946, was selected for his role as a "scientific visionary and leader, mentor and role model to the Laboratory from its inception," said Browne. In 1967, Bethe won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning energy production in stars. He is professor emeritus of physics at Cornell University.

Agnew, director of the Laboratory from 1970 to 1979, is cited "for leadership during the Laboratory's formative years and ascension to international stature." Agnew's association with the Laboratory began in 1943 when he joined the Experimental Physics (W) Division. He was elected State Senator for New Mexico in 1955, and in 1961 became science adviser to the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe. He returned to Los Alamos in 1964 to head the former W Division. Upon leaving Los Alamos, Agnew headed Gulf General Atomics in San Diego, a nuclear reactor builder.

A formal award ceremony and reception will be held in December. Nominees for the Los Alamos Medal are judged on selection criteria that include a contribution that changed the course of science, a major enhancement of the Laboratory's ability to accomplish its mission, a significant impact on Laboratory sustainability and establishment of a major direction for the Laboratory and/or nation.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

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