Laboratory recognized with awards

  • Published
  • By Connie Rankin
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. --  Several scientists and engineers with the Air Force Research Laboratory were recognized for their accomplishments in an Air Force wide completion for 2011.

The recipients will be recognized at a ceremony August 25 at the National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Four out of 15 Air Force level award recipients are from AFRL's Space Vehicles
Directorate here at Kirtland Air Force Base.

The citation stated that the team provided a revolutionary space-based imaging capability to military operational users with more than three thousand target images.

The team supported multiple customers with technical expertise, access to imagery, software updates, analysis tools and calibration support. In addition to this award, the team was selected as the winner of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Systems Award for 2011.

Andrew Williams with the Space Vehicles Directorate's Spacecraft
Technology Division won the award for the Exploratory or Advanced Technology Development. According to the citation, he took leadership of a signature program and led it successfully through the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. Mr. Williams made significant advancements in spacecraft thermal design and thermal components. He also delivered a multi-art experiment for a flight on the International Space Station.

Dr. Steven Miller with the Space Vehicles Directorate's Battlespace Environment Division won the Outstanding Scientist/Engineer in the senior civilian category. According to the citation, Dr. Miller's research in cold atom technologies will create the next-generation inertial navigation system, providing the warfighter precise navigation and situational awareness in environments where the Global Positioning System is denied. He also improved the sensor calibration techniques that doubled the number of search and rescues by Civil Air Patrol sensors.

Dr. Danhong Huang with the Space Vehicles Directorate's Space Based Advanced Sensing and Protect ion Branch, received honorable mention for his work creating concepts of carbon-based high-speed electronics for on-chip image processing, plasmon-enhanced infrared detection, and designs and theories for application in encrypted communication and quantum computers. Dr. Huang's team was also recognized by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research as a Star Team for 2011-13 for their work in active and passive plasmonics research.

"Recognition at the Air Force level is highly competitive, and I could not be more proud of our folks winning well deserved recognition for their hard work and contributions to our National Security," said Col. Bill Cooley, Materiel Wing Director, Space Vehicles Directorate, and Commander, Phillips Research Site.