The system saves lives by alerting residents sooner of the approaching danger The storm surge from tropical hurricanes causes most of the storm-related deaths in the United States, yet the National Weather Service’s long-used forecasting system typically focused on high winds, often falling short on providing reliable predictions and warnings for the public on impending coastal flooding. Storm Surge Specialist Jamie Rhome…

The tools provide patients with better access to their health records and change physician payment incentives Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have recently developed policies to dramatically improve patient care, from providing individuals with greater access to their health records to changing physician payment incentives. …

Hearing loss affects hundreds of thousands of sailors and Marines and costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year in treatments for veterans Exposure to thunderous noise onboard Navy ships — from jet engines, machine rooms, cockpits, firing ranges and other work locations — causes about one in four sailors to experience hearing loss. …

Provided vital updates to protect residents, tourists and property from ash, lava and toxic fumes In 2018, Kīlauea, one of several active volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, erupted for more than 100 days, spewing ash, lava and toxic gases over a large area, destroying more than 700 homes and sending residents fleeing for their lives. Yet there were no fatalities, because the U.S. Geological…

Prosecution resulted in dozens of federal criminal convictions and sanctions against numerous Navy officers A team of Defense Department investigators and federal prosecutors conducted a sting operation six years ago to lure a corrupt military contractor from his home in Asia to San Diego, a maneuver that helped expose the largest bribery and corruption scandal in U.S. Navy history. The investigation revealed an extensive…

Locals rebuilt thousands of homes and roofs ripped apart by a Category 4 hurricane In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti as a Category 4 hurricane, affecting more than 2 million residents, killing 546 people and causing an estimated $2 billion in damage. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Build Back Safer II initiative, Ryan Shelby, a foreign service engineering officer worked with…

Helped protect U.S. interests abroad and advance democracy and human rights around the world During his 47-year career at State Department under nine presidents, Michael Kozak has been a steadfast advocate for democracy and human rights, leading efforts to advance U.S. …

Developed performance standards and tests for detection systems that screen nearly 7 million cargo containers entering U.S. seaports every year When Congress required inspection of some 7 million cargo containers entering U.S. seaports every year to ensure they don’t contain radiological materials that could be used in a terrorist attack…

Greatly improved our country’s ability to identify, prepare for and respond to inevitable flu pandemics During his first year as a junior officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Daniel Jernigan was called to investigate an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on a cruise ship in New York Harbor…