The Samuel Wesley Stratton Award has been annually presented by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, then NBS) since 1962 for "an unusually significant research contribution to science or engineering that merits the acclaim of the scientific world and supports NIST's mission objectives". The award was named after first director of NIST, then NBS, Samuel Wesley Stratton. The award is considered NIST's highest award for fundamental research. Recipients 1971 John L. Hall 1973 Marilyn E. Jacox 1978 John Yates (chemist) and Theodore E. Madey 1987 William Daniel Phillips 1993 J. Michael Rowe and Joh J. Rush 1994 Richard D. Leapman, Dale E. Newbury 1995 Eric A. Cornell 1996 John M. Martinis 1997 Wen-Li Wu 1998 William F. Egelhoff, Jr. 1999 David B. Newell, Richard L. Steiner, Edwin R. Williams 2000 Robert D. McMichael (Physicist, Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory) "for several breakthroughs in the design of thin-film magnetic materials and devices, which can improve thermal stability and reduce power consumption" 2001 Deborah Shiu-Lan Jin 2002 Chris A. Michaels (Research Chemist, MML) Lee J. Richter, Stephan J. Stranick 2003 David J. Wineland 2004 Paul S. Julienne "for world leading theoretical physics research in collisions fundamental to the laser cooling of atoms and Bose-Einstein condensation" 2005 Jeffery W. Lynn (NIST Center for Neutron Research) 2006 Jun Ye 2007 Kent D. Irwin, (Physicist, Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory) "for intellectual leadership in developing world-leading superconducting quantum sensors, which are driving innovation in diverse technical areas." 2008 Dietrich G. Leibfried (Physicist, Physics Laboratory) "for the conception and demonstration of a versatile, reliable geometric phase gate, so far the most effective approach to quantum computing research." 2009 James C. Bergquist, (Physicist, Physics Laboratory) "for leading the research and development of the world's most precise atomic clock which is based on a single ion of mercury and exquisitely stabilized lasers." 2010 Miral M. Dizdar "for scientific and international leadership in developing measurement methods and standards for DNA damage." 2011 Daniel Josell (Research Scientist, Material Measurement Laboratory) and Thomas Moffat (Research Metallurgist, Material Measurement Laboratory) "for models and processes for defect-free filling of nanoscale features that revolutionized interconnect technologies in high-speed computer chips" 2012 Joseph Stroscio (Physicist, Physical Measurement Laboratory) "for scientific achievements in developing new atomic-scale measurement methods involving low- and ultralow temperature scanning tunneling microscopy." 2013 Qingzhen Huang, Jeffrey W. Lynn and Taner Yildirim (NIST Center for Neutron Research) "for elucidating the origins