Living legend; visionary; a man who could inspire, mentor, and motivate.
As a brilliant physicist and the Lab’s fourth Director, Dr. John S. Foster Jr. was a key figure in establishing Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) as essential to the nation’s defense. Foster helped invent and then spearhead innovations that led to the modern nuclear weapons stockpile, as well as introduce many important Laboratory programs that continue to this day. His career was further distinguished by his service to the nation as the Deputy Director for Research and Engineering at the Department of Defense – under two consecutive administrations and four different Secretaries of Defense. In that role he was responsible for ensuring the development of such military capabilities as guided munitions, night vision and space-based radar.
Foster continued to engage with LLNL and national security issues long after his official “retirement” in 1988. In 2015, Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (LLNS) honored his legacy and contribution to national security by creating the John S. Foster Jr. Medal with Foster as the first recipient. The medal recognizes “innovative and inspirational leadership in providing a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent to ensure international peace and strategic stability.”
In September 2022, Sandia National Laboratories Vice President Emerita Dr. Miriam ‘Mim’ John received the prestigious John S. Foster Jr. Medal. Shortly after receiving her medal, Mim spearheaded the idea to honor Foster’s legacy with the John S. Foster Jr. Undergraduate Fellowship – a partnership between the Livermore Lab Foundation and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
About the Fellowship
The John S. Foster Jr. Undergraduate Fellowship supports rising undergraduate seniors in learning about, and participating in, science or engineering projects important to the security and prosperity of the nation. The opportunity is open to support students in a myriad of fields– including but not limited to physics, chemistry, biosciences, materials science, engineering, and computational sciences. The fellowship recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their undergraduate academic endeavors and who seek to apply that knowledge, much like Johnny Foster did, to problems of national importance.
Our Inaugural Fellow
Meet Thomas Scott, the inaugural Foster Fellow, who is studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Thomas is passionate about applied mathematics and computational science for mechanical and aerospace engineering. In the summer of 2023, Thomas was paired with technical mentor Israel Lopez at LLNL in a project that both provided a learning experience and contributed to a topic important to national security. His project focused on validating numerical simulations of experiments done on the National Ignition Facility’s new Direct Laser Impulse chamber.
According to Scott, “This chamber allows X-ray ablation experiments to be studied through an analogous mechanism. In X-ray experiments, similar to how rocket exhaust propels a vehicle, material is released in one direction and momentum is imparted in the other. In this case, the momentum causes a shockwave that deforms the material. Analyzing these material responses is relevant to LLNL’s core missions. The Foster Fellowship allowed me to learn from top scientists, take advantage of state-of-the-art computing resources, and work with modern computational solvers on interesting and challenging projects.”
Inspiring Future Leaders with Your Support!
The Foundation is actively seeking philanthropic donations in the amount of $250,000 to endow this fellowship in perpetuity and is thrilled that the eighth recipient of the Foster Medal, retired U.S. Navy Admiral Richard W. Mies, contributed his award funds ($25K) to the Foster Fellowship endowment campaign. In his words, “the Foster Medal is gift enough. I wanted to honor and follow Mim’s leadership of using the award funds to honor Johnny’s legacy.”
Johnny Foster touched many lives both during his time at LLNL and within the national security complex. LLF invites his colleagues, current Lab employees, as well as retirees, industry, government, and community leaders to pay it forward with this fellowship opportunity.
Individual and corporate philanthropic contributions to the John S. Foster Jr. Undergraduate Fellowship Fund are fully tax deductible. Federal Tax ID # 81-256776. Pledges and legacy gifts are welcome.
Our Foster Fellowship Donors
A special thank you to our generous lead donors who are inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders to contribute to our nation, support national security, and embody the personal attributes of Dr. Foster.
Mike Anastasio
Caryl Blackfield
Kimberly Budil
Paul Chrzanowski
Dona Crawford
John C. Crawford
Madelyn R. Creedon
Bryan Gabbard
Theodore S. Gold
Joshua I. Gold
Bill Goldstein
James R. Gosler
Benjamin Grover
Jill Hruby
Miriam ‘Mim’ John
Robert Kuckuck
Ronald F. Lehman
Michael M. May
George H. Miller
Richard Mies
Victor Reis
Jeff Scott
Lori Souza
Gail Stein
Greg Suski
Lori Taylor
James Tegnelia
Larry Welch
David Whelan
Joan Woodard
Stephen M. Younger