So exam week concluded with a once-in-a-decade huge snowstorm that wiped out winter commencement and even final exams.  Well, it has been that sort of semester. We all recognize that the current economic climate--in the globe and in Annapolis--has been not particularly accommodating.

Consequently, the recent GOOD news has seemed particularly uplifting.

We were thrilled to learn that our good friend Bill Dorland was available recently to take a call from the Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu. And it was not just any call!  Dr. Chu told Bill that he had won the oh-so-prestigious E.O. Lawrence Award, given for terrific achievement by a mid-career scientist who has worked on DoE projects.   Along with high praise for Bill's work in hot plasmas he will receive a gold medal (that will probably pay for his little kids' college education some day with the rate gold is increasing in value) and a cash award, which if there's anything left after taxes will help Bill's family.   Bill and his colleagues work to understand how the forces that allow the sun to glow and burn can be replicated effectively here on Planet Earth, to provide sustainable and clean energy well into the future. Our web story links to the UMD newsdesk's interview with Bill. To read this, click here.  (http://umdphysics.umd.edu/about-us/news-from-the-chair/385-william-dorland-winner-of-does-2009-ernest-orlando-award.html) Enjoy!

As you probably know, Bill cares so deeply about students on this campus that he opted to take the job as Director of the Honors College. We understand that he is bringing great energy to this assignment too, and we're not surprised, because he has long demonstrated a terrific commitment to education. That was verified earlier this week when he was designated a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. Not a bad week, Bill Dorland!

But Bill is not the only faculty member who was recognized quite recently.   We were also heartened to learn that three of our own have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   Betsy Beise, who is doing great work as the interim associate provost for academic programs, is an accomplished nuclear experimentalist, is not a Fellow of the AAAS.   Last year, she won the Department's George Snow Award for her tireless efforts to encourage and assist women in physics.   Jordan Goodman, also a newly minted AAAS fellow, earlier this year won the UMD President's Medal, is a force in the world of particle astrophysics, and a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, too. Carl Williams, an adjunct prof in the department, is the 3rd recipent of the AAAS fellowship.  He is the NIST co-director of the Joint Quantum Institute, which has been such a stupendously successful research venture for our department.   Carl is an AMO theorist, a first-rate administrator, and has been a good friend of the department.

Congratulations to each of these prized colleagues.  To read more about these, click here.   (http://umdphysics.umd.edu/about-us/news-from-the-chair/386-umd-physicists-among-new-aaas-fellows.html)

And my fellow high-energy devotee, Sarah Eno, has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society.   Sarah is a brilliant and well rounded physicist, one of the best out there.  She is a world leader across-the-board in HEP from precision measurements of weak bosons to searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model, and has had many leadership roles both in her collaborations (DZero and now CMS) and in the field in general, from Fermilab Program Advisory Committees (PAC) to the NSF/DOE High Energy Physics Advisory Committee (HEPAP).  Now that the LHC is up and running again, I know her life will be even more interesting.   To read more, click here.  (http://umdphysics.umd.edu/about-us/news-from-the-chair/384-sarah-eno-elected-fellow-of-aps.html)

While I am delighted by the recognition given to these worthy colleagues, I want each of you to know how very much you are all appreciated. I am incredibly grateful and proud of the performance of folks in this Department who have shouldered extra burdens and soldiered through this

challenging year.  Thank you for your support and devotion to UMD Physics, it's a great department, and we cannot do it without everyone pulling together.  Here's wishing you safe travel through the snows, a restful break, and a bright 2010. 

Gratefully, 

   Drew