Arthur S. Flemming Award

The purpose of the Arthur S. Flemming Award is to recognize outstanding federal employees for unusually meritorious work. The awards were established in 1948 in honor of Arthur Flemming's commitment to public service throughout his distinguished career, which spanned seven decades and 11 presidencies. Recognized by the President of the United States, agency heads, and the private sector, the winners are selected from all areas of the federal service. The George Washington University and Government Executive magazine, in conjunction with the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission, present a total of twelve awards annually in three categories: Applied Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Basic Science, and Managerial or Legal Achievement.

Nathan Newbury was recognized for the invention and application of fiber-laser frequency combs to address some of the world's most challenging research problems including subhertz optical spectrscopy, high-precision frequency metrology, nanometer-precision distance ranging, and ultra-high-bandwidth communications. Dr. Nathan Newbury transformed a powerful technology into a practical, turn-key solution with his creation of an entirely new class of frequency combs – the fiber-laser frequency comb. Building upon this innovation, Dr. Newbury pioneered critically important metrology tools to advance fundamental knowledge in an impressive breadth of areas – from the dual frequency comb spectroscopy technique for both ultra high resolution gas detection and dynamic laser characterization, to an ultra-precise laser ranging technique for studying distant objects. Dr. Newbury's research advances are being replicated in research labs around the world and contribute to advances in climate change science, precision timekeeping, and semiconductor manufacturing.