NIST materials research engineer Callie Higgins won a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for building this system to improve methods for using light to “cure” liquid plastics into solid materials. The instrument combines an atomic force microscope (top) with a digital light processing 3D printer (bottom and left).
Credit: C. Higgins/NIST
Callie I. Higgins, a materials research engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has won the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in the Emerging Leaders category.
Higgins is one of seven medal winners of 29 finalists selected from more than 350 nominations for the “Oscars of public service.” Medalists are chosen based on their leadership and innovation, as well as the impact of their work on the health, safety and prosperity of the country.
“At 31, Higgins and her colleagues invented a groundbreaking technology to detect and remedy microscopic flaws that threaten the safety and reliability of 3D-printed products, potentially revolutionizing the medical, plastics, coatings, optics and additive manufacturing fields,” the citation reads.
“We are extremely proud of Callie’s accomplishments and recognition with a Samuel J. Heyman Medal,” said James K. Olthoff, who is performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the under secretary of commerce for standards and technology and director, NIST. “Her creativity, innovation and collaborative efforts have opened up incredible new possibilities for 3D printing, and her leadership and dedication serve as an inspiration to young researchers everywhere.”
In a symbol of Higgins’ focus on achievement, she found out she’d won the “Sammies” medal on the day she returned from summiting Alaska’s Denali, the tallest peak in North America at 6,190 meters (20,310 feet).
Higgins conducts research to improve a 3D-printing technique t ..
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