By Stephen Barr
Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Michelle Reardon works many days with one of the world's most dangerous compounds. As a forensic chemist for the government, she studies C-4, a plastic explosive often favored by terrorists.

She decided on a chemistry career while in middle school and as a graduate student "fell in love" with the science of explosives after studying smokeless powder.

Reardon, 30, works for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the agency's Beltsville lab. Since joining the government in August 2000, she has worked on about 250 cases involving explosives and is a member of ATF's National Response Team, which goes to major fire and bombing sites around the country.

Yesterday, she and 10 other scientists and program managers were honored for their achievements at the 57th annual Arthur S. Flemming Awards ceremony at George Washington University.

Reardon was recognized for developing a technique for identifying oils used in making the explosive C-4, which can be difficult to trace because its manufacturers use essentially the same materials and procedures. That work, which allows for some comparisons and can offer clues about an explosive's origin, along with other research, led her supervisor to nominate her, she said.

Her job, she said, is "something different every day . . . definitely not mundane."

Working for the agency, she said, "was the best thing for me, to go into the public service field to help serve the community and the law enforcement community."

Service and dedication are hallmarks of the annual awards named in honor of the late Arthur Sherwood Flemming, who spent a lifetime in public service and was secretary of Health Education and Welfare in the Eisenhower administration. He also served as the head of three colleges.

In the late 1940s, Flemming helped launch the awards, which go to young people in government with three to 15 years of public service experience.

The first award was presented in 1948 by the Downtown Jaycees, and George Washington University took over presentation of the awards in 1997.

This year's winners, by category, are:

· Administration: Army Maj. Wilson Ariza , assistant product manager for the Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care System; Laura Williams Cheever , deputy associate administrator and chief medical officer, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration; and Catherine L. Cordova , acquisition manager, officer of the deputy director for Ballistic Missile Defense System integration, Missile Defense Agency.

· Applied Science and Mathematics: Bradley K. Alpert , computer scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology; Yoshihiro Ohno , group leader, optical technology division, physics laboratory, NIST; Reardon; Air Force Maj. Paul A. Roelle , commander, Detachment 11, 7th Weather Squadron; and Christopher S. Tripp , senior nuclear process engineer, Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

· Science: David M. Anderson , supervisory physical scientist, National Climatic Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Edward S. Buckler , research geneticist, U.S. Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service; and Carl J. Williams , chief, atomic physics division, physics laboratory, NIST.

"This year's Flemming award recipients reflect the type of women and men who provide the leadership our country needs in these challenging times," Kathryn Newcomer , director of GWU's School of Public Policy and Administration, said in a written statement. "I hope those considering careers in public service will look to these award winners as examples of successful professionals who have found rewarding careers inside of government."

The awards are presented by GWU and the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission in cooperation with the National Academy of Public Administration and are sponsored by BearingPoint Inc., Sapient Corp. and Science Applications International Corp.

Please join me for an online discussion of federal employee and retiree issues at noon today on Federal Diary Live athttp://www.washingtonpost.com. My e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.