PNNL

William Joost, Vehicle Technologies Office Lightweight Materials Program Manager, presented Eric Nyberg with the 2016 Special Recognition Award.

For Eric Nyberg, clean and efficient transportation is the name of the game. He’s dedicated years of research toward advancing lightweight materials and sustainable transportation. In June 2016, Nyberg was awarded for his efforts when he was presented with the 2016 Special Recognition Award at the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Office's Annual Merit Review.

Nyberg, a Washington State University senior scientist and PNNL joint appointee, received the award for his leadership, enthusiasm, and tireless efforts in support of the Magnesium Front End Research and Development Program over the past 10 years. During that time he served as the DOE point of contact for the international program. He also coordinated and hosted three major meetings, including the final review in November 2015 in Washington D.C., where he oversaw meeting logistics, coordination of the post-meeting report, and clearance processing of foreign attendees.

The Magnesium Front End Research and Development Program has made advancements that can ultimately help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy, Nyberg said. He also noted that the program is "an example of how international programs can work for the greater good of mankind, namely cleaner, more efficient transportation."

Although the Magnesium Front End Research and Development Program has ended, Nyberg plans to continue performing research at PNNL for lightweight vehicles through the use of magnesium.

Accolades

After working as a full-time researcher at PNNL since 1992, Nyberg recently took on a faculty position at Washington State University in the Applied Sciences Laboratory. He now holds a joint appointment with PNNL. Nyberg’s research at PNNL has focused on the development of lightweight materials and processes for transportation and military applications. In 1999, Nyberg served as the manager of the Magnesium Task within the Northwest Alliance for Transportation Technology. It was through this program that he realized the impact that magnesium, as the lightest structural material, could have on the automotive industry.

Throughout his time at PNNL, Nyberg received numerous awards for this research. In 2012 he was awarded with a 2012 Distinguished Service Award with The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society for his national and international collaborations. Furthermore, his contributions to the development of titanium metal injection molding have resulted in three patents, one Federal Laboratory Consortium award, and an R&D 100 Award. During his 20 years of project management, he has co-authored more than 50 publications, including books, journal articles, technical reports, and proceedings.