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U.Va. Professor Emerita Anita Jones Wins NAE's 2010 Arthur M. Bueche Award

Original Article | News

As appeared in UVA Today, October 12, 2010

By Zak Richards

Anita K. Jones, a University of Virginia professor emerita, received the 2010 Arthur M. Bueche Award from the National Academy of Engineering on Oct. 3. Jones received the award for "leadership in the development of U.S. science and technology policy and the development of technologies for national security, including technical contributions to high-performance computing and cybersecurity."

Established in 1982, the Arthur M. Bueche Award honors an engineer who has shown dedication in science and technology, as well as active involvement in determining U.S. science and technology policy, promoting technological development and contributing to the enhancement of the relationship among industries, government and universities.

As part of the award, Jones received $2,500 and a gold medallion.

Jones has served in volunteer and appointed roles for a number of entities, many of which have important policy responsibilities. She was director of the Defense Department's Defense Research and Engineering from 1993 to1997; in this role, she was the key player in the development and protection of the science and technology budget for the Pentagon, successfully growing R&D programs at a time when the department's overall budget was being reduced.

She was a member of the National Science Board from 1999 to 2004 and served as its vice chair for two years; was a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 1979 to 1984; served on the Defense Science Board numerous times; and was a member of the advisory council for the Policy and Global Affairs Division at the National Research Council from 1997 to 2006. In addition, she served on committees that authored two influential Research Council reports: "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future" and "Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World: An Assessment of U.S. Needs."

Jones was awarded the IEEE Founders Medal in 2007 and the Ada Lovelace Award from the Association of Women in Computing in 2004. In 2000, she was named a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2010 she was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.

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