Suffolk Reporter

The Engineering Awards are presented to recognize distinguished contributions to the Laboratory's engineering and computing objectives. The 2023 recipients were David Bergman, Russell Feder, John Kuczewski, Seth Nemesure, and Joel Vasquez.

David Bergman, an electrical engineer at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), was honored for his 34-year career contributions, including work for NASA and NIST. His efforts in developing, commissioning, operating, and upgrading NSLS-II's high-power systems were highlighted. "Delivering, sustaining and evolving safe, reliable and stable operations of the facility in the past decade is a direct conclusion of David’s diligent work and his engineering ingenuity." A notable achievement was his role in developing the Storage Ring Dipole Power Supply.

Russell Feder, principal mechanical engineer at the Collider-Accelerator Department, received recognition for his leadership as sPHENIX Chief Mechanical Engineer and Head of the sPHENIX Integration Office from 2019 to 2023. He oversaw the design, fabrication, and installation of sPHENIX detector subsystems. "Russ's leadership played a pivotal role in the on-time, on-budget completion of sPHENIX."

John Kuczewski from the Instrumentation Division was awarded for his work on the sPHENIX Time Projection Chamber (TPC) readout system. His achievements include adapting custom non-commercial components like SAMPA ASICs for sPHENIX. "His comprehensive involvement and mastery of high-speed logic design make him instrumental in the success of the sPHENIX experiment."

Seth Nemesure from the Collider-Accelerator Department was recognized for his 25 years of technical contributions and leadership in control systems. He designed crucial interfaces for RHIC and AGS polarimetry and led efforts for NSRL dosimetry software. "A notable accomplishment is Seth's 2013 redesign of the electronic logbook (elog), central to C-AD operations."

Joel Vasquez from the Physics Department received recognition for upgrading power distribution systems to current standards with precision. He designed a versatile second-generation control system using programmable logic controllers. "His commitment to safety is evident in the robust interlocks and alarms integrated into the control system."

These awards highlight significant contributions across various departments within Brookhaven Lab.