Leading a revitalized small business investment program
Harry Haskins, a deputy associate administrator at the SBA, helped revitalize the faltering Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program that has since put billions of dollars in the hands of entrepreneurs and led to the creation of thousands of jobs since 2009.
Predicting when and where hurricanes will strike
DeMaria has pioneered numerous hurricane and wind speed prediction models that have become the bedrock for the nation’s weather forecasters
NASA engineer helps advance hypersonic flight
In the three years since he joined NASA as a research engineer, 29-year-old Manan Vyas has accomplished two major technical feats in the highly challenging area of aeronautics.
Improving cataract surgery outcomes for VA patients
David Vollman,an ophthalmologist, helped organize and implement a pilot project for tracking cataract surgery results that will lead to the creation of a national VA database.
Leading humanitarian relief efforts during African famine
Cara Christie, a disaster-operations specialist with the USAID, is credited with recognizing the significance of the impending famine almost a year before it unfolded.
Looking for signs of life in the universe
Scientist William Borucki conceived, designed and now is leading NASA’s Kepler space mission that will bring the world a step closer to knowing whether life exists on other planets.
An expert in preventing insect-borne diseases
As director of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Center for Medical, Agricultural & Veterinary Entomology in Florida, Kenneth Linthicum developed techniques that have protected U.S. military personnel overseas from debilitating afflictions caused by sand flies.
Safeguarding treasures from national historic sites
Bob Sonderman is the steward of treasures from Civil War battlefields, historic homes and other sites administered by the National Park Servicein the Washington area.
Assisting victims of hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters
When a disaster strikes, Mark Misczak is a beacon of light for survivors, helping them receive much-needed government support and assistance.
Working to sustain and improve our national forests
Through innovative scientific research, Theresa Benavidez Jain is ensuring America’s great outdoors – our national forests – will thrive in the future.
Expanding digital access to government information and services
Advocate, ambassador and evangelist are all hats Sheila Campbell wears at the General Services Administration .
Investigating federal programs to make sure public dollars are spent wisely
GAO Director Steve Lord has helped evaluate multi-million dollar passenger, baggage and air cargo screening programs run by the Transportation Security Administration.
Bringing the news of America to Indonesia
Patsy Widakuswara is thousands of miles from home, but she regularly reaches millions of people in her native Indonesia as a Washington-based television journalist for the Voice of America.
Tracking flu outbreaks nationwide
You may be seeing less sniffling and sneezing in your neighborhood these days, but flu season is never really over for Lynnette Brammer.
Bringing green vehicle technology to auto racing
As a research engineer at the Argonne National Laboratory, Forrest Jehlik is focused on improving the technology for vehicles such as plug-in hybrids and electric cars.
Managing emergency services at the Grand Canyon National Park
Brandon Torres has a huge responsibility — ensuring the safety of more than five million people who visit the Grand Canyon National Park every year.
Helping solve crimes through cutting edge DNA research
John Butler is one of the world’s leading experts on DNA analysis, and is responsible for a number of scientific breakthroughs to validate and advance the use of DNA technology.
Protecting endangered foreign animal and plant species
From leopards and zebras to penguins and giant pandas, Janine Van Norman is working to make sure these and other endangered foreign species will be around for future generations.
Strengthening security at the nation’s airports
In pursuit of safeguarding the public, Dan Liddell has written a book that is now used to train new transportation security officers.
A government advocate for human rights
One of the government’s leading champions for human rights and women’s rights is a 32 year-old Air Force veteran Rob Berschinski.
Searching for an Alzheimer’s cure
Neil Buckholtz has been the driving force behind an ambitious public-private partnership focused on finding the biological markers that show how Alzheimer’s progresses in the brain.
Reaching out to young Middle East leaders to advance U.S. foreign policy
At just 30 years old, Andrew Rabens is building bridges between the United States and youth leaders in the Middle East and North Africa.
Fighting the growing type 2 diabetes epidemic in children
Between 2006 and 2011, Dr. Barbara Linder led two multi-year clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health which developed and tested strategies to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes in youth.
Helping VA rehabilitate those with multiple wounds of war
Micaela Cornis-Pop oversees more than 110 rehabilitation facilities around the country, helping the VA stay at the forefront of developments in treating traumatic brain injury and other medical issues facing injured veterans.
Training healthcare providers to reduce medical errors
Heidi King and her colleagues have developed a health-care provider training system known as TeamSTEPPS that has become the gold standard for eliminating preventable medical harm.
Tracking storm surges and flooding from hurricanes
Thanks to a new application developed by Benton McGee of the U.S. Geological Survey, officials can now make more precise measurements during major storms.
A defender of human rights at the State Department
When she’s not arguing legal cases, Sheth advises officials in Washington and at embassies abroad on human rights issues, particularly in areas affecting women, indigenous peoples and the aging.
A lifetime protecting wildlife and natural habitats
In his more than two decades with the National Wildlife Refuge System, Jim Hall has literally seen and done it all.
Keeping the financial regulators on their toes
When members of Congress need factual information and insights into the effectiveness of the financial laws put in place after the 2008 economic crisis, they regularly turn to the GAO and Orice Williams Brown.
Blazing a legal trail to help improve health care
Ariane Tschumi has worked alongside health-care experts designing model programs intended to better health care and lower costs, and with attorneys in the Office of the Inspector General, who are trying to prevent waste, fraud and abuse in the health-care system.
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