Richard Alkire, a senior research scientist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), has been awarded the 2004 Vittorio de Nora Award by The Electrochemical Society. A gold medal and cash prize of $7,500 accompany the honor and will be presented to Alkire at the 205th meeting of the society in May 2004 in San Antonio. The biennial award is given for outstanding contributions to engineering and technology directed toward the use of electrochemical phenomena and processes. Alkire was recognized for his pioneering work in the field of electrochemical engineering, especially in bridging the gap between fundamental science and applications of significant technological importance in electrochemical processing, surface modification, and corrosion. "On behalf of all his colleagues here at NCSA, I extend my congratulations to Richard," said NCSA Director Dan Reed. "His intellectual curiosity and commitment to his field make him an exceptional researcher. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the Electrochemical Society has recognized his groundbreaking work. His efforts to develop tools to enable and advance scientific discovery for all researchers are also a critical contribution." Alkire's work with NCSA and the National Computational Science Alliance involves the development of the Alliance Science Portal and other tools to allow researchers to apply computational resources, simulation codes, and visualization technologies to scientific questions and to enable them to collaborate through a Grid-based interface. He joined UIUC in 1969 and previously served as head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, campus Vice Chancellor for Research, and Dean of the Graduate College. He currently holds the Charles and Dorothy Prizer Endowed Chair in chemical engineering. Alkire, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, served as president of The Electrochemical Society during the 1985-1986 term and was named an honorary member of the society in 1991. "I am particularly pleased that our work is used for solving industrial applications," Alkire said. "The integration of experiments, mathematical modeling and information technology will continue to provide significant opportunities in the future." Founded in 1902, The Electrochemical Society has become the leading society for solid-state and electrochemical science and technology. ECS has 8,000 scientists and engineers in more than 75 countries worldwide who hold individual membership, as well as roughly 100 corporations and laboratories that hold contributing memberships. For more information, go to http://www.electrochem.org/.