July 28 2006, by Geok-Chooi Lou, NCLT

Professor Mark C. Hersam has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award at a ceremony on July 26, 2006, in Washington, D.C.. As announced by Professor Peter W. Voorhees, MSE Department Chair at Northwestern University, "It is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers. He had his photograph taken with President George W. Bush and the other PECASE recipients, and received his award from John H. Marburger, science advisor to President Bush and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, during a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building."

Professor Hersam is one of the outstanding young professors partnering with NCLT to advance Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education in the US. He is also a main driving force in establishing an on-line repository of resources for courses and supplemental modules for the NanoEd Clearinghouse due to be launched this Fall.

A member of the Faculty in Materials Science and Engineering Department since 2000, Professor Hersam's teaching and research activities can be viewed at the Research Group website Single Molecule Sensing, Characterization, and Actuation. The following links show a sample of college-level course materials that Professor Hersam has contributed to the NCLT and NanoEd Clearinghouse knowledge base.

• Nanomaterials
• Introductory Physics of Materials

President George W. Bush poses for a photo with the recipients of the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, July 26, 2006. The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, established in 1996, represents the highest honor that any young scientists or engineer can receive in the United States. White House photo by Kimberlee Hewitt.

• McCormick News Article
• Mark C. Hersam homepage at MSE NU
• The Mark Hersam Research group at NU