Dr Gavin Goes to Washington

 
 

On Monday, June 13, 2005, I was privileged to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, also known as PECASE, along with 57 other young researchers from around the country. The main ceremony took place in the Treasury Building, next to the White House.


The 20 of us who were nominated for this award by the National Science Foundation also attended a ceremony on June 14 at NSF headquarters in Alexandria, VA. PECASE awards are given each year to a subset of researchers who receive CAREER grants from all the federal agencies that fund scientific research. (Read more about these programs here.)

Not only did we get to meet Dr. John Marburger, the Presidential Science Advisor and head of the Office of Science & Technology Policy, and Dr. Arden Bement, director of the NSF -- we also got to meet President George W. Bush and spend about 20 minutes with him in the Oval Office!


No matter what your political leaning, meeting the president is an intense honor, and I'll remember this experience as long as I live.


Here are some photos of highlights from this trip, which also included some great sightseeing with my wife Kara. The NSF, OSTP and Wayne State University press offices sent out press releases about this award, and I even made it into the Detroit News!


Thanks go to all who helped me with the grant application that led to my CAREER grant and PECASE award, and to everyone involved in making the award ceremonies so memorable!

-- Sean Gavin


 
1. Over the weekend, Kara and I made a pilgrimage to the statue of Albert Einstein outside the National Academy of Sciences building on Constitution Ave.
We also checked out the new World War II monument, the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, the Tomatsu exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum of the Smithsonian, as well as other sights. And we ate some great food at the Zola and Kinkead's restaurants.


2. On Monday, we checked in at the NSF headquarters and met the other NSF awardees. All of our names scrolled constantly on the electronic sign at the visitor entrance!


3. Then, Dr. Joanne Turnow of the NSF and her staff herded the entire group of 20 winners and 20 guests through the Metro system to the White House complex - no small feat. Here I am thinking, "I'm going to give that President a piece of my mind..." before we went in.




4. We entered through the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where we met the awardees from the other federal agencies. There was no air conditioning in this building - and it was 95 degrees out that day with about 90 percent humidity.


5. Next, we headed to the South Portico of the White House, which is "around back" from this view of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. (i.e. the back porch.) We assembled in rows for our photo with the President, too weakened by the heat to joke much.





6. The President arrived on time for the photo, and then invited us all into the Oval Office to get out of the heat. He talked to us about leadership and the importance of punctuality - and cracked a few jokes. He's actually a pretty funny guy.

Here's the group photo of us with President Bush and Dr. Marburger -- click here to see it larger.



7. After our audience (and a handshake!) with the President, we went to the Treasury Building next door to receive our award and meet up with our guests.


Poor Kara and the other guests had been left to wander the hot streets of Washington for two hours while the awardees hung out with W.! Fortunately, Kara found the nearest air-conditioned museum and bar.


8. Here I am as I entered the Cash Room of the Treasury Building for the ceremony. "He touched my... hand!"


Dr. Marburger gave some great opening remarks, and then the awardees went up to the podium, grouped by agency. The NSF group was the largest -- apparently, the whole PECASE program started in NSF and grew to include the other agencies.


Each of us had our picture taken individually with the head of our agency and Dr. Marburger. We also received a citation signed by the President.


10. Here we are after it was all over!

After the ceremony, we headed to Georgetown for an exceptional dinner at Fahrenheit -- I was in a daze and don't remember any of it, but Kara says it was delicious. And then we collapsed in exhaustion...




11. The next day at the NSF ceremony, all 20 of us were asked to give a three-minute talk about the research, and the outreach programs, that led to our receiving the CAREER grant and PECASE award. Here's the text of my speech.






  1. 12.We had our photo taken as a group with Dr. Bement, and got to know each other a little better. It was an extraordinary group -- there were nanoscience specialists, language and music researchers, even someone who studies coral reefs. And babies -- lots of babies.





13. Before we left NSF, but still with that cheese-eating grin on my face, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Earle Lomon, the NSF Program Manager who guided me through the process of applying for the CAREER grant. I also met (but alas, didn't get a photo of) my new Program Manager, Dr. Brad Keister. They both gave me my marching orders: get back to work!

 

 

last updated 6/19/05

 

June 11-14, 2005