Types of Awards

The Awards Office, sponsored by the Technology Transfer Division and the Science and Technology Base Program Office, coordinates the Laboratory’s submission process for a number of key external awards. These awards are important for the recognition they bring to the Laboratory and to the Department of Energy as well as to the individual award recipients.

E.O. Lawrence Awards

This DOE award honors scientists and engineers for exceptional contributions to the development, use, or control of nuclear energy (broadly defined to include the science and technology of nuclear, atomic, molecular, and particle interactions and effects).

Enrico Fermi Award

The Enrico Fermi Award is given by the Department of Energy to recognize scientists, engineers, and science policy makers for a lifetime of achievement in the field of nuclear energy. Established in 1956, it is the government's oldest science and technology award.

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer Awards

This nationwide network of federal laboratories provides the forum to develop strategies and opportunities for linking the the federal laboratories' mission technologies and expertise with the marketplace, bringing laboratories together with potential users of government-developed technologies. The FLC sponsors several annual awards specific to technology transfer activities.

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)

The Presidential Award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. The White House following recommendations from participating agencies will confer the awards annually.

R&D 100 Awards

For 44 years, the prestigious R&D 100 Awards competition, sponsored by R&D Magazine, has been helping companies provide the important initial push a new product needs to compete successfully in the marketplace. The winning of an R&D 100 Award provides a mark of excellence known to industry, government, and academia as proof that the product is one of the most innovative ideas of the year.

U.S. Presidential Award: National Medal of Science

The National Medal of Science was established by the 86th Congress in 1959 as a Presidential Award to be given to individuals "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences." In 1980 Congress expanded this recognition to include the social and behavioral sciences.

Note: All other award applications should be submitted individually or through submitter’s group or division office.

Additional Distinguished Awards

• The National Academy of Sciences
• The National Academy of Engineering
• The Institute of Medicine
• The National Research Council

Following is a selected list of societies and associations that sponsor various award competitions and honors of interest to Laboratory employees. 

• Acoustical Society of America
• American Academy of Achievement
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Ceramics Society
• American Chemical Society
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• American Nuclear Society
• American Physical Society
• American Society for Non-Destructive Testing
• American Society of Civil Engineers
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• American Society of Materials International
• Optical Society of America
• Society of Manufacturing Engineers
• Society of Plastics Engineers