George Strobel, associate professor of physics and astronomy, received a National Ignition Facility Programs Award from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was recognized for his beryllium ignition target designs with a graded copper dopant. The NIF is a U.S. government effort to create controlled nuclear fusion in small ping-pong ball shaped targets. The targets are compressed simultaneously on all sides by high intensity lasers to such a small volume and high density that energy-producing nuclear fusion reactions spontaneously begin.
