March 5, 2025
By Mikey Fuller

Nolan E. Hertel, professor emeritus in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Randall S. Caswell Award for Distinguished Achievements in the Field of Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards.

Created in 2000, this award was named after one of the founding members of the Council on Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards (CIRMS) and former Chief of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Ionizing Radiation Division (now Radiation Physics Division) and honors individuals who have made significant contributions to ionizing radiation measurements and standards for the Nation.

Hertel has mentored 49 M.S. thesis students and 33 Ph.D students since his academic career started in 1979 at the University of Texas at Austin before joining the Woodruff School’s faculty in the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering (NRE) Program in 1993.

Shaheen Dewji, assistant professor in the Woodruff School and second vice president of CIRMS, nominated Hertel for the award for his influence in both national and international dosimetry and radiation measurement standards.

In Dewji’s nomination letter, she said Hertel left a lasting impact after serving more than 30 years as a faculty member at Georgia Tech while, for many of those years, also holding a joint faculty appointment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge.

“He not only advanced the field but also mentored and inspired generations of students, many of whom now contribute to radiation protection and measurement worldwide,” Dewji says. “His leadership within CIRMS, including his tenure as president, has helped drive progress in radiation measurement science. As the newly elected second vice president of CIRMS, I am honored to help carry forward this mission and build on the foundation he has established.”

Hertel was CIRMS president from 2008-2009 and served on the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) Report Committee 26, which developed operational quantities for external radiation exposure later published in ICRU Report 95. He also was co-chair of the ANSI/ANS 6.1.1 working group on fluence-to-dose conversion coefficients, both of which have shaped international dosimetry standards.

Frédéric Tessier, CIRMS president, says Hertel’s innovations in detector materials and radiation detection instruments, exemplifies the kind of impactful leadership that the Caswell Award celebrates.

Selection for the award is based in part on demonstration that the nominee has actively furthered the mission of CIRMS through leadership, participation, research, and/or mentoring.

The award will be presented on April 9, 2025, the final day of the CIRMS annual meeting in Rockville, MD.