July 11, 2007

Katherine K. Martin
Media Relations Office
216-433-2406
katherine.martin@grc.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 07-022

NASA GLENN DIRECTOR NAMED SCIENTIST OF THE YEAR

Cleveland--Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., director at NASA's Glenn Research

Center, has been selected as the top recipient of the 2007 Minorities
in Research Science Award.

Also called the Emerald Honors award, this is the premier award for
African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans
working in the research sciences.

The winners will be featured in a special issue of Science Spectrum

magazine and honored at a black tie gala during the Minorities in
Research Science Conference on September 15 at the Baltimore
Convention Center.

Whitlow received the Scientist of the Year award for his exemplary
record of research, scientific and management accomplishments while
working for NASA.

"It is an honor to receive the Minorities in Research Science Award. I

consider myself privileged to be among those, like Dr. Isaiah
Blankson, a brilliant researcher, who previously was chosen for their
scientific contributions," said Whitlow about his achievement.

Dr. Whitlow earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and

Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has written nearly 40
technical papers, mostly in the areas of unsteady transonic flow and
aeroelasticity. While managing an annual budget of approximately $650
million, he oversees a workforce of close to 1,640 civil service
employees that is supported by approximately 1,430 contractors. Glenn
has 24 major facilities and over 500 specialized research facilities
located at the 350-acre Cleveland site and the 6,400-acre Plum Brook
Station site in Sandusky, Ohio.

Richard Christiansen will be honored with an award for Career

Achievement. Christiansen is former Deputy Director for Glenn, and
will receive this award for his true commitment to excellence. He was
cited as one of the nation's highest achievers in research science.

Christiansen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace

engineering in 1979 from California State Polytechnic University,
Pomona and a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from
Stanford University in 1985. He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA and
has served on numerous committees and has authored nine papers on
V/STOL aerodynamics and missile aerodynamics. After serving as
Glenn's Deputy Director for 3 years, Christiansen retired from NASA
on May 31.
The third awardee, honored as a Special Recognition Honoree, is Carlos
Morrison, a physicist and aerospace engineer at Glenn. Morrison's
contributions have focused in advancing technology for magnetically
suspended oil-free aircraft engines, a new five-axis magnetic
facility to advance the state-of-the-art testing capability for
turbomachinery damping and mistuning research and a flightweight
electric motor for a pollution-free electric aircraft propulsion
system. Morrison received the prestigious R&D 100 Award in 2004 for
his invention of the "Morrison Motor" and was recognized in the same
year with the National Technical Association Technical Achiever of
the Year award and in 2005 with the Black Engineer of the Year award.

Morrison owns four patents related to physiology and engineering and

has authored and co-authored 24 journal and technical articles. He is
a member of the American Physical Society and the National Technical
Association. Morrison earned his bachelor's degree in
physics/mathematics from Hofstra Universtiy in Long Island, NY and
his master's degree in physics from Polytechnic University in
Brooklyn, NY.

Additionally, two other Glenn employees, Lancert Foster and Lizalyn

Smith, will be recognized by Science Spectrum magazine as
Trailblazers for 2007. They are minority men and women who create new
paths for others in science, engineering or technology, show
leadership in their workplaces and communities, are role models and
mentors and demonstrate commitment to recruiting and retaining
minorities in the nation's science and technology enterprises.

Print quality photos of Whitlow, Christiansen, Morrison, Foster and

Smith are available online:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news/2007/07-022addm.html

For more information on Emerald Honors Award, see:

http://www.ccgmag.com/emerald

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