Other Awards and Honors
2001 Discover Magazine Awards
Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation Award Winner-Timed Neutron Detector-Richard Craig
Discover Magazine Awards for Technological Innovation were presented by the Christopher Columbus Foundation "to recognize the all-too-often neglected men and women behind the technologies that impact our lives."
See PNNL's news release for more information on PNNL's winners.
The Timed Neutron Detector (TND) was honored by Discover Magazine with the 2001 Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation Award. This award is given to a living American currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society and that needs additional funds to be realized. The TND, developed by Dick Craig and Tony Peurrung, looks similar to a metal detector, yet it applies neutron physics to find indications of a land mine's presence. The system detects hydrogen, which is present in casings and explosives found in plastic or metal land mines, and hydrogen's interactions with neutrons. Thus land mines can be accurately and safely located for disarming.