Dr. John Sample has been identified as one of 85 engineers selected to take part in the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) 17th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium.
Sample heads NRL's Geospatial Computing Section within the Marine Geosciences Division at Stennis Space Center.
The participants -- engineers ages 30 to 45 who are performing exceptional engineering research and technical work in industry, academia, and government -- were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations and chosen from approximately 315 applicants.
The young engineering innovators of today are solving the grand challenges that face us in the coming century, said NAE President Charles M. Vest. We are proud that our Frontiers of Engineering program brings this diverse group of people together and gives them an opportunity to share and showcase their work.
Sample has worked at NRL-SSC for 13 years as a computer scientist, during which time he has authored and edited articles, books, and book chapters on the topic of web-based GIS. He holds three patents related to web-based GIS and has developed a number of tile-based mapping systems in use by the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.
He obtained his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1999 and his Ph.D. in computer science from Louisiana State University in 2003.
In September, Sample will travel to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., for the symposium, which will examine additive manufacturing, engineering sustainable buildings, neuroprosthetics, and semantic processing. Alfred Z. Spector, vice president of research and special initiatives at Google, will be a featured speaker.
Sponsors for the 2011 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering are Google, The Grainger Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, STEM Development Office of the Department of Defense DDR&E Research Directorate, National Science Foundation, Microsoft Research, and Cummins Inc.
The National Academy of Engineering is an independent, nonprofit institution that serves as an adviser to government and the public on issues in engineering and technology. Its members consist of the nation's premier engineers, who are elected by their peers for their distinguished achievements. Established in 1964, NAE operates under the congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1863.