Noureddine Melikechi

Noureddine Melikechi
File:Noureddine-melikechi-dphil.png Distinguished Professor of Physics, Director of OSCAR, Member of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Team
Born	1958 Thenia, Algeria
Alma mater	University Houari Boumediene of Sciences and Technology
Known for	Optics & Photonics
Awards	Award #1 (2001) Award #2 Award #3 (2010) Award #4 (2012)
Scientific career
Fields	Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
Institutions	Delaware State University; University of Miami, OH; Vassar College, NY
Doctoral advisor	Leslie Allen Edward E. Eyler

Noureddine Melikechi, D.Phil (born in 1958) is an Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physicist, educator and inventor. He is the author of more than 125 peer-reviewed publications, three book chapters and 15 patents. Dr. Melikechi is a member of the Mars Science Laboratory, NASA’s largest Mars exploration effort to date.

Background

Early Years

Dr. Melikechi was born in 1958 in the town of Thénia, derived from its Berber name Tizi n’At Aycha, in the wilaya of Boumerdès, Algeria. After graduating from Thénia’s middle school, the young Noureddine left his town for the Lycee Abane Ramdane in El-Harrach, Algiers. There he received his Baccalaureate in Mathematics. He then enrolled at the University Houari Boumediene of Sciences and Technology of Algiers where he earned a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures in Physics. He then went on to pursue graduate work in England where he worked towards his Masters and Doctorate in the laboratory of Professor Leslie Allen on optical coherent control of electronic dipole transitions in sodium atoms.

Middle Years

Upon graduating and following a postdoctoral research experience with Professor Allen, Dr. Melikechi joined the University of Sciences and Technology in Algiers as an Assistant Professor of Physics as part of his national service (1988-1990). Dr. Melikechi left Algeria for the USA in 1990 and joined the research group of Professor Edward E. Eyler as a postdoctoral research fellow. With Dr. Eyler, Dr. Melikechi worked on multiphoton excitation schemes in atoms and molecules, precise pulsed laser spectroscopy of few-electron systems, the generation of vacuum ultraviolet laser radiation, the development of Fourier-transform limited laser pulses. In 1995, he was appointed Assistant Professor of physics at Delaware State University (DSU).

Contributions

At DSU, Dr. Melikechi founded the Applied Optics Center of Delaware (AOC-DE), a center dedicated to research, education and innovation initially focused on nonlinear optics and laser spectroscopy in liquids. In 2006, he founded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology focused on optics. In 2009, this Center was fused with a NASA University Research Center to form the Optical Science Center for Applied Research (OSCAR). Dr. Melikechi is also the principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Maximizing Access for Research Careers and the DSU Idea Network for Biomedical Research programs.

Dr. Melikechi’s recent research is focused on two major two research projects: (1) Developing sensitive optical techniques for the early detection of cancers (with a focus on epithelial ovarian cancer and prostate cancer). This work brings together laser spectroscopy, nanochemistry, and cancer diagnosis and has potential impact on disease prevention; and (2) Analyzing laser induced breakdown spectra of Martian oils, dust and rocks. The data is collected through the Chemistry Camera (ChemCam) instrument on board the 1-ton Curiosity Rover launched on November 25th, 2011 and landed successfully on the red planet on August 6th, 2012.

Recognition

Dr. Melikechi is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards: DSU’s President’s Excellence in Research Awards (1998 and 2008), the 2005 SMART (Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for Tomorrow) Capitol Hill Forum’s “Executive Directors Collaboration Award”, an award he received “In recognition for continuing efforts to improve and increase Science and Technology collaboration among the technical community in the SMART Region and to further the growth and development of the SMART initiative”, The Department of Defense Small Business Initiative for Research Award (1997), The National Institutes of Health Small Business Initiative for Research Award (2002), the 2010 DSU New Castle Chapter Alumina Award, The 2011 “Appreciation Award” from the National Federation of Canadian Muslims, the 2012 Biotechnology Award, the NASA Group Award for his work on ChemCam.

In 2011, Governor Jack Markel of Delaware named Dr. Melikechi the “Delaware Ambassador to Mars” in recognition for his work on space science6 and in 2013, Dr. Melikechi was named the George and Carolyn Arfken Scholar in residence by the University of Miami, Oxford, OH.

Personal Life

Dr. Melikechi enjoys walking, playing and watching and analyzing soccer games, visiting new places, music (Chaabi, Hawzii and Berber music), writing and reading and looking for answers to scientific problems.

Awards

• 2016 – Reconocimiento, El comité organizador del la luz de la cienca, en la cuidad de Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico.
• 2015 – Appreciation for Scientific Achievement, University of Boumerdes, Algeria.
• 2014 – Excellence Award for Youth Empowerment and Development in Africa, the “African Society for Engineering Management.”
• 2013 – NASA Group Achievement Award, Mars Science Laboratory ChemCam Instrument Development and Science Team, NASA.
• 2013 – Arfken Scholar-in-Residence, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
• 2013 – University Distinguished Professor, Delaware State University.
• 2012 – International Science Award, US-Algerian Business Council.
• 2012 – Academic Research Award, the Delaware Bioscience Association.
• 2012 – The Algerian of the Year Award, Algerian American Association of Greater Washington.
• 2012 – Tribute Award, Muslim Canadian Federation.
• 2011 – Delaware Ambassador to Mars, The Honorable Jack Markell, Delaware’s Governor.
• 2011 – Recognition Proclamation, State of Delaware Legislature.
• 2011 – Making a Difference Award, Delaware Alumni Association.
• 2010 – Making a Difference Award, Delaware Alumni Association.
• 2010 – Citizen of Science Award, El Moustakbel Youth Foundation, Algeria.
• 2008 – Outstanding Service for Research Award, Delaware State University.
• 2005 – Executive Directors Collaboration Award, SMART Capitol Hill Forum.
• 2002 – Youth Soccer Coach of the Year, Delaware Youth Soccer Association.

Publications

(Displaying: Last Five Years)

• Maurice, S.; Clegg, S.; Wiens, R.C.; Gasnault, O.; Rapin, W.; Forni, O.; Cousin, A.; Mangold, N.; Ledeit, L.; Nachon, M.; Anderson, R.; Lanza, N.; Fabre, C.; Payré, V.; Lasue, J.; Meslin, P.Y.; Sautter, V.; Sirven, J.B.; Léveillé, R.; Melikechi, N. (2016). "ChemCam Activities and Discoveries during the Nominal Mission in Gale Crater, Mars". J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 407: 1849–1855. doi:10.1039/C5JA00417A.

• Markushin, Y.; Sivakumar, P.; Connolly, D.; Melikechi, N. (2015). "Tag-Femtosecond Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the Sensitive Detection of Cancer Antigen 125 in Blood Plasma". Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 407: 1849–1855. doi:10.1007/s00216-014-8433-0.

• Mezzacappa, A.; Melikechi, N.; Cousin, A.; Wiens, R.C.; Lasue, J.; Clegg, S.M.; Tokar, R.; Bender, S.; Lanza, N.L.; Maurice, S.; Berger, G.; Forni, O.; Gasnault, O.; Dyar, M.D.; Boucher, T.; Lewin, E.; Fabre, C.; Science Team, MSL (2015). "Application of distance correction to ChemCam measurements". Spectrochimica Acta Part B Atomic Spectroscopy: 115. doi:10.1016/j.sab.2015.11.002.

• Sivakumar, P.; Fernández-Bravo, A.; Taleh, L.; Biddle, J.F.; Melikechi, N. (2015). "Detection and Classification of Live and Dead Escherichia coli by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy". Astrobiology. 15 (2): 144–153.

• Jantzi, S.; Motto-Ros, V.; Trichard, F.; Markushin, Y.; Melikechi, N.; De Giacomo, A. (2015). "Sample treatment and preparation for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy". Spectrochimica Acta Part B Atomic Spectroscopy: 115. doi:10.1016/j.sab.2015.11.002.

• Lanza, N.; Ollila, A.; Cousin, A.; Wiens, R.C.; Mangold, N.; Clegg, S.M.; Tokar, R.; Bridges, N.; Cooper, D.; Schmidt, M.; Berger, J.; Forni, O.; Arvidson, R.; Melikechi, N.; Newsom, H.E.; Hardgrove, C.; Mezzacappa, A.; Jackson, R.S.; Clark, N.; Maurice, S.; Nachon, M.; Anderson, R.; Blank, J.; Deans, M.; Delapp, D.; Leveille, R.; McInroy, R.; Martinez, R.; Meslin, P-Y.; Pinet, P. (2015). "Understanding the signature of rock coatings in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy data". Icarus. 249 (Special Issue: First Year of MSL): 62–73. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.05.038.

• Pokrajac, D.; Lazarevic, A.; Kecman, V.; Marcano, A.; Markushin, Y.; Vance, T.; Reljin, N.; McDaniel, S.; Melikechi, N. (2014). "Automatic Classification of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Data of Protein Biomarker Solutions". Applied Spectroscopy. 68 (9): 144–153. doi:10.1366/14-07488.

• Fabre, C.; Cousin, A.; Wiens, R.C.; Ollila, A.; Gasnault, O.; Maurice, S.; Sautter, V.; Forni, O.; Lasue, J.; Tokar, R.; Vaniman, D.; Melikechi, N. (2014). "In situ calibration using univariate analyses based on the onboard ChemCam targets: First prediction of Martian rock and soil compositions". Spectrochimica Acta Part B Atomic Spectroscopy. 99. doi:10.1016/j.sab.2014.03.014.

• Lanza, N.L.; Fischer, W.; Wiens, R.; Grotzinger, J.; Ollila, A.; Cousin, A.; Anderson, R.; Clark, B.; Gellert, R.; Mangold, N.; Maurice, S.; Mouélic, S.; Nachon, M.; Schmidt, M.; Berger, G.; Clegg, S.; Forni, O.; Hardgrove, C; Melikechi, N.; Newsom, H.; Sautter, V. (2014). "High manganese concentrations in rocks at Gale crater, Mars". Geophysical Research Letters. 41 (16): 5755–5763. doi:10.1002/2014GL060329.

• Melikechi, N.; Mezzacappa, A.; Cousin, A.; Lanza, N.L.; Lesue, J.; Clegg, S.M.; Berger, G.; Wiens, R.C.; Maurice, S.; Tokar, R.L; Bender, S.; Forni, O.; Breves, E.A.; Dyar, M.D.; Frydenvang, J.; Delapp, D.; O., Gasnault; Newsom, H.; Ollila, A.M.; Lewin, E.; Clark, B.C; Ehlmann, B.L.; Blaney, D.; Fabre, C. (2014). "Correcting for variable laser-target distances of LIBS measurements with ChemCam using emission lines of Martian dust spectra". Spectrochimica Acta Part B Atomic Spectroscopy. 96: 51–60. doi:10.1016/j.sab.2014.04.004.

• Meslin, P-Y.; Gasnault, O.; Forni, O.; Schröder, S.; Cousin, A.; Berger, G.; Clegg, S.M.; Lesue, J.; Maurice, S.; Sautter, V.; Le Mouélic, S.; Wiens, R.C.; Fabre, C.; Goetz, W.; Bish, D.; Mangold, N.; Ehlmann, B.; Lanza, N.; Harri, A.-M.; Anderson, R.; Rampe, E.; McConnochie, T.H.; Pinet, P.; Blaney, D.; Léveillé, R.; Archer, D.; Barraclough, B.; Bender, S.; Blake, D.; Blank, J.G.; Bridges, N.; Clark, B.C.; Deflores, L.; Delapp, D.; Dromart, G.; Dyar, M.D.; Fisk, M.; Gondet, B.; Grotzinger, J.; Herkenoff, K.; Johnson, J.; Lacour, J.L.; Langevin, Y.; Leshin, L.; Lewin, E.; Madsen, M.B.; Melikechi, N.; Mezzacappa, A.; Mischna, M.A.; Moores, J.E.; Newsom, H.E.; Ollila, A.; Perez, R.; Renno, N.; Sirven, J.-B.; Tokar, R.; de la Torre, M.; d'Uston, L.; Vaniman, D.; Yingst, A. (2013). "Soil diversity and hydration as observed by ChemCam at Gale crater, Mars". Science. 341 (6153). doi:10.1126/science.1238670.

• Sivakumar, P.; Taleh, L.; Markushin, Y.; Melikechi, N. (2014). "Packing density effects on the fluctuations of the emission lines in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy". Spectrochimica Acta Part B-Atomic Spectroscopy. 92: 84–89. doi:10.1016/j.sab.2013.10.007.

• Sivakumar, P.; Taleh, L.; Markushin, Y.; Melikechi, N.; Lesue, J. (2013). "An experimental observation of the different behavior of ionic and neutral lines of iron as a function of number density in a binary carbon–iron mixture". Spectrochimica Acta Part B-Atomic Spectroscopy. 82: 76–82. doi:10.1016/j.sab.2012.11.00.

• Wiens, R.; Maurice, S.; Lasue, J.; Forni, O.; Anderson, R.B.; Clegg, S.; Bender, S.; Blaney, D.; Barraclough, B.L.; Cousin, A.; Deflores, L.; Delapp, D.; Dyar, M.D.; Fabre, C.; Gasnault, O.; Lanza, N.; Mazoyer, J.; Melikechi, N.; Heslin, P.-Y.; Newsom, H.; Ollila, A.; Perez, R.; Tokar, R.L.; Vaniman, D. (2013). "Pre-flight calibration and initial data processing for the ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover". Spectrochimica Acta Part B-Atomic Spectroscopy. 82: 1–27. doi:10.1126/science.1238670.

• Magnes, J.; Raley-Susman, K.M.; Melikechi, N.; Sampson, A.; Eells, R.; Bello, A.; Lueckheide, M. (2012). "Analysis of Freely Swimming C. elegans Using Laser Diffraction" (PDF). Open Journal of Biophysics. 2 (03). doi:10.4236/ojbiphy.2012.23013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)

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Books (Contributor)

• Achenbach, J. D. (2003). Reciprocity in elastodynamics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81734-9.

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References

Other

• Harris, J. G. (2002). "Editorial – A biographical note on Jan D. Achenbach with a foreword to the special issue". Wave Motion. 36 (4): 307–309. doi:10.1016/S0165-2125(02)00026-4.
• Bazant, Zdenek P.; Qu, Jianmin (2002). "Preface". International Journal of Solids and Structures. 39 (21–22): 5375–5378. doi:10.1016/S0020-7683(02)00353-0. – A volume in honour of Jan D. Achenbach
• "Contributors". IEEE Transactions on Sonics and Ultrasonics. SU-27 (3): 137–138. 1980. doi:10.1109/T-SU.1980.31164.

External links

• Jan D. Achenbach at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
• "Jan D. Achenbach". Mechanical Engineering – Department directory. Northwestern University. Retrieved 10 December 2010.

• 2012 – ASME Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• 2010 – Theodore von Karman Medal by the American Society of Civil Engineers

DEFAULTSORT:Achenbach, Jan Drewes Category:1935 births Category:Living people Category:Acoustical engineers Category:Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Category:People from Leeuwarden Category:Delft University of Technology alumni Category:Dutch emigrants to the United States Category:Stanford University alumni Category:Columbia University staff Category:Northwestern University faculty