Brian Anderson, GE Plastics Material Engineering Professor of Chemical Engineering at West Virginia University, is one of 10 early-career scientists and engineers who participated at a media roundtable on Tuesday, April 15, at the National Press Club.

Hosted by The Science Coalition, the panel brought together recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) to discuss their work and the state of the U.S. research enterprise.

The PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. PECASE recipients will be in Washington, D.C., April 14 and 15 to be recognized for their achievements by President Obama and the heads of America’s science agencies.

Anderson’s research focus is in the areas of natural gas hydrates, thermodynamic modeling and sustainable energy and development in the area of geothermal systems. He was nominated for the PECASE by the Department of Energy.

Joining him on the panel were researchers from Yale University, Princeton University, UCLA and the University of Texas at Austin.

The Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. It is dedicated to sustaining strong federal funding of basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global competitiveness.