Earlier this week, the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, an independent Federal government agency I’ve had the pleasure of working with for many years, selected James J. Thomas, Laboratory Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), as this year’s recipient of the $25,000 Homeland Security Award for his pioneering leadership in the new science research field of visual analytics.  The Homeland Security Award is sponsored by AgustaWestland North America, a Foundation partner since 2006.

According to PNNL, “Visual analytics technologies facilitate drawing actionable information from staggering amounts of complex data to thwart terrorist acts, identify vulnerabilities, and prepare for and respond to natural disasters.  This technology fundamentally changes how humans interact, analyze, and report and act on information from local law enforcement, local and national health organizations, and national and international intelligence agencies.”

In 2004, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate created the National Visualization and Analytic Center with the mission to “prevent, prepare for, protect from, and respond to threats of any kind,” and Thomas was tapped to lead the new Center.

“The Department of Homeland Security has designated the month of October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month, so it is fitting that the Christopher Columbus Foundation and AgustaWestland are honoring Jim Thomas, referred to by colleagues as the “father of visual analytics,” said Kimberly Owens, Chair of the Foundation.  “Jim has had the rare opportunity to be the leader in developing the new science field of visual analytics.  He has been instrumental in crafting collaborative agreements between the U.S., Canada and Germany, and recently the European Union Commissions, United Kingdom and others joined to address the problems of homeland security.  Jim has also inspired degree and certificate programs so future generations will carry on the work he has begun,” said Owens.

“This award is unique and very special in that it represents recognition of the knowledge workers–intelligence to law enforcement–and the technologies enabling them to protect our freedoms, and allowing us to enjoy our way of life through homeland security,” said Thomas.  “I want to thank the thousands from government, academia and industry nationally and internationally who have joined me in this cause to develop visual analytics technologies resulting in this award.”

(Dr. John Wild pictured with Rosalyn Queen, former Chair, Board of Trustees, Columbus Foundation ) Last week, Dr. John Wild passed away. Dr. Wild is widely recognized at the inventor of the ultrasound and he was honored for this distinction in 1998 by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, an independent federal government agency (from time to time, the Foundation hires me to recommend worthy candidates for their awards programs).

Judith Shellenberger, executive director of the Foundation, sent a sweet note to Dr. Wild five years ago in which she wrote:

It was a great privilege to honor you with the Foundation’s first Frank Annunzio Award
in 1998 in Washington, D.C.  The Foundation has bestowed the Frank Annunzio Award on many fine Americans since that time, but you were the first.  I am proud that the Foundation’s Board acknowledged your great work through this award and chose you as its first recipient.

I had the pleasure of meeting this great man. What a wonderful sense of humor! I thought I’d share a little information about him as a reminder that great inventors are not just a product of the 19th century.

From the U.K. Telegraph: John Wild, who died on September 18 aged 95, was the father of ultrasound in medicine, having invented imaging techniques that became standard for tumour screening in general and the diagnosis of breast cancer in particular. Read more.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are accepting nominations for the 2009 Life Science Awards now through January 12, 2009. Relatively simple online nomination process. Certainly worth the 15 minutes it takes to complete and submit the nomination. (Full disclosure: the Foundation hires me to research and recommend worthy candidates for its Homeland Security Awards. Stay tuned for that “call for nominations!”)

• $25,000 Chairmen’s Distinguished Life Sciences Award Presented to an adult scientist/researcher working in the field of life sciences.

The winner of the $25,000 Homeland Security Award, presented by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, will be honored during the evening of September 11th in Washington, D.C. (I do some work for the Foundation–recommending worthy candidates–so I’ll be at the ceremony.)  Check out the Columbus site to get ahold of some of the fascinating work folks are doing to keep us safe. It’ll make you feel warm and cozy.) I’ll be in D.C. Sept 11 and Sept 12. Got a couple of other meetings lined up but if you think there’s something I should cover while I’m there, let me know!

Same goes for my visit to NYC where I’m scheduled to meet with a pal from Business Week and another from Discover. That’ll be the day before…on September 10th.

Until Labor Day, I’ll be hanging at the beach, here on Long Beach Island.

Cheers!

Know of any great Homeland Security programs or technologies? Considering forwarding this on or contacting me with recommendations. I am soliciting nominations on behalf of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation , an independent federal government agency, for its $25,000 Homeland Security Award. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and the deadline for submitting a nomination is Friday, May 23.

Hey, with $25,000 at stake, it’s worth the little bit of time it takes to submit the online nomination.

Good luck!