The R&D 100 Awards, often hailed as the “Oscars of Innovation,” spotlight the world’s top 100 scientific and technological breakthroughs annually. These prestigious accolades are decided by an independent panel of judges alongside the editors of R&D Magazine.
This year, the esteemed judging panel includes 54 accomplished professionals from around the globe. Notable members from the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) staff, Paul Guss, Cameron Hawkins, and Marylesa Howard, return for their second year to lend their expertise in determining the year’s most groundbreaking technologies.
On August 13, the finalists will be revealed at rdworldonline.com, followed by the announcement of winners and medalists in Special Recognition and new Professional Award categories the following week.
Congratulations to the NNSS team members on their distinguished appointments, and best wishes for their roles as judges!
Paul P. Guss
Paul Guss, a prominent figure at the NNSS, leads the University Partnerships Office in Science and Technology. Formerly, he was Program Manager and Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) site representative for the Site-Directed Research and Development (SDRD) Program. With over three decades of scientific and management experience, Guss has contributed to numerous projects, including the Fukushima response and NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity launch planning. His academic background includes a bachelor’s in physics from Gettysburg College and a doctorate in nuclear physics from Duke University.
Cameron Hawkins
Since 2004, Cameron Hawkins has been an integral part of the NNSS, serving as a Senior Principal Engineer and Deputy Program Manager for the SDRD Program. She oversees the C3 Launcher, a platform for shock physics experiments. Hawkins has a rich history of collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories and teaching experience at Boise State University. Her academic journey includes a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate in mechanical engineering, all from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Marylesa Howard
Marylesa Howard, an award-winning mathematician, is a Technical Manager II at the NNSS. Her leadership role involves overseeing the SCE Operations team. Since joining NNSS in 2013, Howard has held various positions, from supervision to principal scientist. She is known for her contributions to image segmentation and Bayesian reconstruction methods, and she champions women in STEM, supporting academic and career development across the nation. Howard holds a bachelor’s degree from George Fox University and a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Montana, all in mathematics.
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