Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Engineer Receives Navy Meritorious Public Service Award

Isaac Bankman, an electrical engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, has received the U.S. Navy Meritorious Public Service Award, the third-highest civilian award the Navy can bestow.

Bankman was recognized for his service from January to December 2016 as a science director for the Office of Naval Research Global in London. The four-year assignment came through ONR’s highly competitive Global International Science Program, under which civilian scientists and engineers temporarily serve as senior liaisons with international science and technology organizations in government, academia and industry.

In that role, Bankman leveraged the science and technology community in Europe and Israel to identify, initiate and oversee research projects abroad and coordinate collaborations that addressed Navy and Marine Corps priorities. He was named ONRG’s 2016 Science Director of the Year.

The Meritorious Service citation given to Bankman reads, in part, “His superior efforts have resulted in creation of an extensive S&T [science and technology] network throughout Europe, including various academic organizations, government organizations and industries. Dr. Bankman’s dedication and selfless service to new science directors has been critical to the S&T engagement with international researchers.”

He was also lauded for volunteering to lead the European Regional Engagement Plan to articulate the strategic plan for international S&T engagement throughout Europe.

Bankman has more than 30 years of experience in signal and image processing algorithms, modeling and simulation of sensor systems, and development of imaging instrumentation. Since arriving at APL 27 years ago he has led sensor studies and algorithm development for the Navy, Missile Defense Agency, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Institutes of Health, and APL Independent Research and Development (IRAD) programs. He has also served as a group supervisor in APL’s Air and Missile Defense Sector and as an IRAD program manager.

He received the award on Sept. 20, in a ceremony at ONR Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, from ONR Global’s commanding officer, Capt. Kevin Quarderer.

“It is a great honor to contribute to the advancement of the Navy’s science and technology engagements,” Bankman said. “To be recognized for those efforts is icing on the cake.”