Arthur S. Fleming 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.

Sae Woo Nam, Leader of the Quantum Information and Terahertz Technology Project in the Optoelectronics Division of EEEL, was recognized with the 2008 Arthus S. Flemming Award in Applied Science, Engineering, and Mathematics for his pioneering contributions and leadership in the field of single photonics. Dr. Nam is known for the invention and application of groundbreaking single photon detection systems, which are advancing quantum cryptography, quantum computing, the examination of fundamental assumptions of quantum mechanics, and the ultimate traceability of optical power. Dr. Nam has created best-in-class detector systems using two distinct technical approaches—superconducting tungsten transition edge sensor and superconducting niobium nitride single photon detectors. His accomplishments include single photon detectors with world-record efficiency in the commercially important telecommunication band, collaborative demonstrations of quantum key distribution (QKD) with record data rate and distance for practical, ultrasecure communication networks, and the investigation of quantum states of light for improved metrology.