The Department of Energy invites nominations for the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Awards, which are among the longest running and most prestigious science and technology awards given by the U.S. government.

The Lawrence Awards were first conferred in 1960, and they have since been awarded to 202 recipients, all of whom are listed at www.sc.doe.gov/lawrence. The honorees are among this country’s most brilliant and accomplished scientists and engineers.

The Lawrence Awards honor U.S. scientists and engineers at mid-career for exceptional contributions in research and development supporting the Department of Energy and its mission to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. The award consists of a citation signed by the Secretary of Energy, a gold medal and a $50,000 honorarium.

An award is given in each of the following fields: chemistry, materials research, environmental science and technology, life sciences (including medicine), nuclear technologies (fission and fusion), national security and nonproliferation, and high energy and nuclear physics. The Department of Energy encourages the nomination of a diverse pool of candidates.

Nominations for the 2009 Lawrence Awards must be submitted by April 1, 2009. The Lawrence Award’s webpage: http://www.sc.doe.gov/lawrence/ describes the nomination guidelines and process. Please note the revisions and updates to prior announcements and that all nominations are made via an electronic submission process.