"It gives us great pleasure to recognize these five for their extraordinary contributions to science and engineering and to the INEEL," Kearns said. "Each of them has enjoyed a distinguished career that has also contributed significantly to the INEEL's mission, programs and future."

William Apel, James Delmore, Paul Meakin, David Petti and Herschel Smartt are recognized for their professional knowledge, scientific and engineering achievements, and national and international technical leadership.

"Scientific discovery, engineering advancements and publication of research results are at the heart of the INEEL's service to the nation," said Jacobsen. "There is no greater honor the INEEL can bestow upon a staff member and these five scientists deserve this recognition."

The INEEL has been engaged in a process to assess, update and revitalize its Laboratory Fellows Program. Previously, the INEEL invited interested employees to submit applications to become Laboratory Fellows. Following recommendations and guidelines provided by the National Academy of Science, the five were selected to be the first Laboratory Fellows in the revitalized program.

William Apel holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from Ohio State University. At INEEL, he has been heavily involved in the bioprocessing of gases and vapors. His work has established INEEL as an international leader in this area. Apel led an INEEL team that earned an R&D 100 award for development of the Biocube Aerobic Biofilter, and led to 13 years of continuous funding for this research.

He has also worked extensively on microbial metal reduction and the uses of extremophilic organisms. His work in this area with INEEL researchers Vicki Thompson and Kastli Sc
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Contact: Steve Zollinger
gaz@inel.gov
208-526-9590
DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
7-Dec-2004