The award, which was implemented by Vice President Albert Gore, recognizes individual and team contributions in accomplishing significant tasks in support of federal government programs.
Coleman was honored for his contributions as a primary author of the "Multi-Agency Radiological Survey and Site Investigation Manual" (MARSSIM). The manual provides the basis for conducting radiological pollutant assessments in the United States, and contains detailed specifications for detecting, analyzing and assessing radiological environmental pollutants at facilities owned or regulated by DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency. Coleman was the primary author for chapters dealing with instrumentation and measurement methods.
Coleman joined ORNL in 1988 after earning a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He earned a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee and is certified by the American Board of Health Physics.
He and his wife, Deidre, live in Claxton. They have one son - Austin. ORNL is a DOE multiprogram research facility and is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation.
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