CRESTVIEW — A Crestview High School alumna is among 105 researchers receiving Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.
President Barack Obama will recognize Dr. Michele Manuel — who researches self-healing metals at the University of Florida, Gainesville — and others earning the honor later this year during a Washington, D.C. ceremony.
“The PECASE awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers who are beginning their research careers,” a NASA media release stated. “The award recognizes recipients' exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge, as well as their commitment to community service as demonstrated through professional leadership, education or community outreach.”
Award recipients “are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate change to our health and wellness,” Obama said in a media release. “We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people.”
The awards, which President Bill Clinton established in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President.
This year’s recipients are employed or funded by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior, Department of Veterans Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and the Intelligence Community.
Manuel is a 1997 Crestview High School graduate who attended Richbourg Middle School, and Bob Sikes and Walker elementary schools.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: President Obama is recognizing 105 researchers — including this Crestview High alumna