JILA Fellow Thomas Perkins.
Sometimes, focusing on the little things can gain you recognition. Dr. Thomas Perkins won a Gears of Government Award for his work in atomic force microscopy. The President's Office gives the Gears of Government Awards to honor those in the federal workforce who have made a profound difference in American lives.
“Whether they are defending the homeland, inspecting our food, making scientific discoveries, or managing cyber risks, Federal employees underpin all the operations of our government and touch nearly every aspect of our lives,” Office of Management and Budget’s Deputy Director for Management Margaret Weichert said in a press release. “These awards recognize not just the front-line mission employees, but also those teams and individuals that are strengthening our country to be a more modern, effective government to better serve their fellow citizens.”
As a JILA Fellow and NIST physicist, Perkins' lab falls under the Department of Commerce. His lab has focused on single molecule measurements of biological systems, like proteins, DNA and RNA. To get those measurements, his team has advanced atomic force microscopy in the last decade. Their advances in AFM technology have led to better understanding of biology, such as completely mapping the energy landscape of a hairpin-shaped bend in HIV RNA, and understanding illnesses from cancer to brain disease. With this knowledge, scientists can develop better drugs and therapies. Perkins emphasized that their work is a team effort.
“I am delighted to receive this award that reflects a decade of innovation by members of my lab,” Perkins said.
The Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) program supports university-based centers and institutes where the collective efforts of a larger group of individuals can enable transformational advances in the most promising research areas. The program is designed to foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics by providing needed resources such as combinations of talents, skills, disciplines, and/or specialized infrastructure, not usually available to individual investigators or small groups, in an environment in which the collective efforts of the larger group can be shown to be seminal to promoting significant progress in the science and the education of students. PFCs also include creative, substantive activities aimed at enhancing education, broadening participation of traditionally underrepresented groups, and outreach to the scientific community and general public.