The Enrico Fermi Award is a scientific award conferred by the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
. It is awarded to honor scientists of international stature for their lifetime achievement in the development, use, or production of
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
. It was established in 1956 by the
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...
in memorial of Italian-American physicist
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
and his work in the development of
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
. The recipient of the award receives $100,000, a certificate signed by the President and the
Secretary of Energy
The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when Pr ...
, and a gold medal featuring the likeness of
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
.
[ ]
Previous winners
Source
US Department of Energy
See also
*
List of engineering awards
This list of engineering awards is an index to articles about notable awards for achievements in engineering. It includes aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, structural e ...
*
Prizes named after people
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
*
List of things named after Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi (1901–1954), an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist, is the eponym of the topics listed below.
Physics
*Fermi (unit), unit of length in particle physics equivalent to the femtometre
*Fermi arc, a phenomenon in supercon ...
*
Vannevar Bush Award
The National Science Board established the Vannevar Bush Award ( ) in 1980 to honor Vannevar Bush's unique contributions to public service. The annual award recognizes an individual who, through public service activities in science and technology ...
*
Ankusk Kapoor Award
References
External links
DOE website on the Fermi award
{{sci-award-stub
Enrico Fermi Award recipients
Physics awards
Engineering awards
Awards established in 1956
Lifetime achievement awards
1956 establishments in the United States
American science and technology awards
Enrico Fermi