Alabama A&M University News June 2011 Physicist Will Receive National Distinction Page Content A noted and much-honored physicist at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) is slated to receive an even greater distinction at the Pentagon on June 29. Dr. Paul B. Ruffin, an Alabama A&M University alumnus who serves as RDECOM's senior research scientist for micro-sensors and systems, will receive the coveted Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, symbolic of the very best in service to the federal government and worthy of recognition by the President of the United States. A senior executive, Ruffin joins the select one percent of the government's incomparable leaders, scientists, and other professionals known for their ability to bring about results and to consistently exude integrity and commitment to public service. There are two categories of rank awards: Distinguished and Meritorious. Award winners are chosen through a rigorous selection process. Of the U.S. Government's 1.8 million civilian employees, only 6,800 have risen to be career Senior Executives. Of that elite pool, fewer than 50 are typically selected to be Distinguished Executives annually. Army employees who receive the Presidential Rank Award save the Service billions of dollars with efficiencies and advanced technologies. As the Army's senior research scientist (ST) for micro sensors and systems, Dr. Ruffin provides technical leadership and direction for research and development programs in the micro- and nano-scale technology area; interacts with international scientists, industry, academia, and with scientists in the Army and other government agencies; successfully leads notable research and development programs; and pioneers major technical breakthroughs to overcome the size and cost obstacle common to high performance navigation systems. In July 2003, Dr. Ruffin was promoted to the highest rank for a research scientist - senior research scientist (ST) - that anyone could achieve in Government service, making him the first African-American to ever attain such status in the Army. He received the B. S. degree in physics from Alabama A&M University in 1977. He was the first African American to receive advanced degrees in physics from any school of higher learning in the state of Alabama, when he earned his M.S. (1982) and later his Ph.D. (1986) degrees in Physics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Dr. Ruffin's research in Fiber Optics, MEMS, and Nanotechnology has resulted in seven (7) patents, four book chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles. His latest patent, "Nano Smart Needle for Precision Sensing and Treatment that Promotes Healing in Living Tissue," revealed a noninvasive technique for treating cancer patients. He is the co-editor of a textbook on "Fiber Optics Sensors: Second Edition," CRC Press, 2007. Moreover, Ruffin is an Adjunct Professor in the Physics Department at Alabama A&M University. Dr. Ruffin, who is an SPIE Fellow (2005), has received numerous prestigious awards, including the 2011 Black Engineer of the Year STEM Minorities in Research Science's (MiRS) Professional Achievement Emerald Award, the Army Research and Development Achievement Award from the Secretary of the Army in 2003, Black Engineer of the Year: Special Recognition, Technologist of the Year Award, Top Ten Army Materiel Command Personnel of the Year Award, Material Acquisition/Technology Award from the American Defense Preparedness Association, Recognition for a Canadian Patent, and many other awards. Dr. Ruffin is a resident of Harvest, Ala., and pastors Forge Temple Church of God in Christ in Birmingham, Ala. He is married to Vetrea Slack Ruffin, National Gospel Recording Artist and employee at Alabama A&M University. They have two daughters, Lacretia (Kellen) Conaway and Angelica Ruffin (both are graduates of AAMU); and two grand children, Victoria Conaway (daughter of Lacretia and Kellen Conaway) and Jared Armand Smith, son of Angelica. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.