Elaine S. Oran, Ph.D. Honored with the Society of Women Engineers' Highest Honor.

Dr. Oran recognized at Society's national conference for her contributions to computational technology

CHICAGO -- The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) today announced Elaine S. Oran, Ph.D. the recipient of the 2006 SWE Achievement AwardCothe Society's highest honor. Dr. Oran is being recognized for pioneering a computational technology that unifies engineering, scientific, and mathematical disciplines into a methodology for solving reactive flow problems.

Dr. Oran is the Senior Scientist for Reactive Flow Physics at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. As Senior Scientist, Dr. Oran's current research includes development of numerical algorithms and the use of these algorithms in computerized models that describe a wide variety of complex fluid systems. These systems are used in research and applications ranging from microfluidics to astrophysics and cosmology. Her current work applies these simulation methods to design micron-sized devices for use in biosensors; design of micro-propulsion systems for use in air vehicles, space and planetary exploration; hazard reduction involved in the storage and handling of energetic materials including hydrogen fuels; basic physics of combustion processes involving flames; detonations and the transition to denotations; and explosions of supernovae.

"Dr. Oran's contributions to engineering are tremendous," says Jude Garzolini, president of the Society of Women Engineers. "Her work in computational technology has had a prolific effect on society through various applications: energy efficient propulsion systems, control and mitigation of the effects of fires and explosions, and prediction of atmospheric conditions at altitudes from ground to ionosphere. Her research work and mentorship to aspiring engineers embodies everything the Achievement award represents."

Dr. Oran is responsible for programs sponsored by NRL, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Japanese research agency, NEDO. A substantial part of her work is involved with facilitating collaborations among government, academia, and industry. In addition to her work with ONR, Dr. Oran has become a highly regarded consultant by corporations and governmental agencies. Currently, she is at the center of a new collaboration among the U.S. government and a number of universities and private industries to design safe storage for hydrogen fuels.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Dr. Oran has worked extensively with supporting the Women in Science and Engineering group within NRL. This network provides an environment in which women demonstrate their skills and has enabled them to develop a power base at the Laboratory. The network has also helped to implement a successful mentoring program and other woman-assisting facilities.

Dr. Oran has authored and co-authored hundreds of technical papers and articles, as well as the highly regarded textbook, Numerical Simulation of Reactive Flow, which is considered to be the most widely used text on the subject.

Dr. Oran has also served as visiting faculty member at several academic institutions, including the University of Michigan. As a result of her mentorship, Dr. Oran has supervised the research of many Ph.D. students as well as hosted and directed the research of many national and international postdoctoral scholars at NRL.

"Dr. Oran is a research scholar and team leader," says B.B. Rath, materials science and component technology directorate for the Department of the Navy. "She is on the of the world's leading authorities on advanced methods for large-scale numerical simulation of physical systems. Her work has advanced both the methodology for solving problems on the world's most advanced computers and the application of these methods to a very broad range of problems."

In 1979, Dr. Oran received the Arthur S. Fleming Award and in 1988 the WISE Award in Science, given for achievement in science by Women in Science and Engineering. In 1999, she received the Oppenheim Prize for "outstanding contributions to the theory of the dynamics of explosions and reactive systems." And in 2000, she received the Ya. B. Zeldovich Gold Medal, prepared by the Russian Academy of Sciences for the Combustion Institute, and given for "outstanding contributions to the theory of combustion and detonations." In 2001 she became an Honorary Professor of the University of Wales. She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003 and is a Fellow of both the AIAA and the American Physical Society.

She is presently Editor-in-Chief of the AIAA Journal. She is president of the Institute for the Dynamics of Energetic and Reactive Systems, and has served on both the boards of directors of both the AIAA and the Combustion Institute. Additionally, she is past chair and a founding member of the American Physical Society Division of Computational Physics and has been active in the Division of Fluid Dynamics.

Dr. Oran received her A.B. degree in physics and chemistry from Bryn Mawr College; her M.Ph. degree in physics; and her Ph.D. degree in solid state physics and statistical mechanics.

The Achievement Award is the highest award given by the Society of Women Engineers. It is presented annually to a woman who has made an outstanding contribution over a significant period of time in a field of engineering. Her academic training may be in either science or engineering. She need not be a member of the Society. The main criteria for selection are based on the significance of the lifetime achievements cited on behalf of the nominee and on the sustained contributions of the nominee to the field of engineering.

The Achievement Award will be formally presented Friday night, October 13, 2006, at SWE's National Conference Awards Banquet in Kansas City, Mo. The National Conference, "Women Blazing Technology Trails," is being held at the Kansas City Convention Center, October 12-14. The more than 4,000 attendees include professionals from every discipline of the engineering profession and a large number of engineering students and educators. The 2007 Conference is scheduled for October 25-27, 2007, in Nashville, Tenn.

About SWE

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and receive the recognition and credit for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders. For more information about the Society please visit www.swe.org or call [phone].