[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 149 (Friday, October 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1471-E1472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING DR. CHARLES V. SHANK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 2015

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of 
Dr. Charles V. Shank. Known by many for his seminal development of 
ultrafast lasers and his visionary leadership as Director of the 
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 1989 through 2004, Dr. Shank 
made the Advanced Light Source a world-leading center for soft X-ray 
science. As a recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy's Enrico Fermi 
Award on October 20, 2015--presented to outstanding scientists for 
distinguished achievement--we honor Dr. Shank's life work and lasting 
legacy.
  Graduating summa cum laude in 1965 from UC Berkeley, Dr. Shank went 
on to receive an M.S. and PhD in Electrical Engineering. These early 
academic achievements were the catalyst for a distinguished twenty year 
career at AT&T Bell Laboratories, where Dr. Shank made his mark as a 
pioneer in femtosecond laser spectroscopy and the study of ultrafast 
events.
  In 1989, following his meteoric rise at AT&T, Dr. Shank was appointed 
Director of Berkeley Lab. Here, Dr. Shank would more than double the 
annual budget and grow the Lab's workforce to nearly 4,000 personnel. 
Under his watch the stage was set to attract the National Energy 
Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) and the creation of the 
Joint Genome Institute (JGI) to settle at Berkeley. Not long after, he 
championed the Supernova Cosmology Project, which led to the Nobel

[[Page E1472]]

Prize-winning discovery of ``dark energy'', a phenomenon partly 
responsible for the expansion of the universe.
  These extraordinary advancements brought further discoveries, 
including the top quark and neutrino mass, the Time Projection Chamber 
for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, the front-end system for the 
Spallation Neutron Source, and the reclamation of valuable land 
occupied by the long-defunct Bevatron.
  Today, California's 13th Congressional District salutes the life and 
work of an outstanding individual and pioneer, Dr. Charles V. Shank. 
His contributions have truly impacted the Berkeley community, the field 
of energy and applied science, as well as the lives of his family, 
friends, and patrons. I join all of Dr. Shank's loved ones in 
celebrating his incredible accomplishments and offer my highest 
gratitude for the distinction he has brought upon the 13th 
Congressional District.

                          ____________________