News Release

Washington State Engineer to Receive IEEE-USA's Highest Honor,Former NAE President to be Recognized for Public Service

WASHINGTON (24 February 2009) -- IEEE-USA President-Elect Evelyn Hirt will receive the organization’s highest honor during the IEEE-USA Annual Meeting at the Salt Lake City Marriott City Center on 28 February.

Hirt, an IEEE senior member, will be presented the Robert S. Walleigh Distinguished Contributions to Engineering Professionalism Award “for enthusiastic leadership and contributions in a wide range of IEEE-USA professional activities.”

IEEE Fellow and former National Academy of Engineering (NAE) President William Wulf will also be honored with the IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Public Service. Wulf, who is unable to attend, was selected “for advancing engineering professionalism and promoting U.S. competitiveness in science and technology.”

Hirt and Wulf will be among 18 award recipients recognized for their professionalism and technical achievements, as well as literary contributions to public awareness and understanding of the engineering profession in the United States.

Russ Lefevre, IEEE-USA’s 2008 president, will make the presentations.

Hirt is a subject matter expert in systems (hardware, software and integration) and controls for Battelle Memorial Institute at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. She served on the IEEE-USA board as Region 6 director in 2003-04 and was the region’s liaison to the IEEE Women in Engineering Committee in 2007-08.

Hirt has worked on numerous IEEE technical councils and conference committees, and was a member of the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society Board of Governors from 2003 to 2007. She will serve as IEEE-USA president next year.

Robert S. Walleigh, an IEEE member electrical engineer, worked for the National Bureau of Standards -- now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – for more than 35 years. He retired as a senior adviser for international affairs in 1979. He worked the next 18 years as an IEEE-USA senior specialist.

The award was first presented in 1978 and renamed the “Robert S. Walleigh Distinguished Contributions to Engineering Professionalism Award” in 2000.

IEEE-USA’s awards program is administered under its Awards and Recognition Committee and approved by the IEEE-USA Board of Directors. The nomination deadline for 2009 awards is 31 July 2009. For additional information, go to www.ieeeusa.org/volunteers/committees/awards or contact Sandra Kim at sandra.kim@ieee.org.

The 2008 IEEE-USA award recipients are:

Robert S. Walleigh Distinguished Contributions to Engineering Professionalism Award

Evelyn Hirt

For enthusiastic leadership and contributions in a wide range of IEEE-USA professional activities

Award for Distinguished Public Service

William Wulf

For advancing engineering professionalism and promoting U.S. competitiveness in science and technology

Regional Professional Leadership Award

Dusty Fisher

For long-term service and creative activities for precollege programs in Region 5

Donald Hill

For long-term service and leadership of IEE-USA’s Government Activities Committee

John Nirschl

For long-term efforts in precollege activities promoting engineering in Iowa

R Sampath

For efforts in shaping public policy initiatives in education and engineering in California

Myron F. Wilson

For outstanding leadership in developing and implementing precollege activities in Region 4

Divisional Professional Leadership Award

Richard Kolodziejczyk

For developing and implementing tutorials for the joint chapter of the IEEE Computer and Control Systems Societies, promoting the educational and professional advancement of engineers

Professional Achievement for Individuals

Martin Izaak

For efforts in establishing and chairing the consultants network in the New York Section

Emily Sopensky

For promoting the IEEE-USA Congressional Fellows program and her efforts in developing technology policies

Citation of Honor

Jim Fancher

For long-term service and his active role in formulating IEEE-USA’s Energy Policy Committee position on electrical power reliability

Edward G. Perkins

For his leadership and promotion of IEEE-USA products and services by organizing career seminars and workshops for U.S. IEEE members

Thomas A. Schneider

For formulating and advocating IEEE-USA’s energy policy and providing leadership as energy policy chair

Richard Schwarz

For distinguished long-term service in establishing and evaluating engineering licensure standards

Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering the Public Understanding of the Profession

Alan Boyle

For increasing public understanding of engineering with his series of articles on future engineering challenges

John Dodge

For increasing public understanding of engineering with his series of articles on the key new technologies in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering Engineering Professionalism

Richard A. Ellis

For substantial and sustained contributions that have significantly improved the understanding of science and engineering labor markets by professionals and public policymakers

Harry Diamond Award

Dwight Woolard

For contributions and leadership in the discovery and development of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices and systems with emphasis on terahertz frequencies

IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 215,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of the IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional society with 375,000 members in 160 countries. See http://www.ieeeusa.org.

Contact: Chris McManes
IEEE-USA Public Relations Manager
Phone: + 1 202 530 8356
E-mail: c.mcmanes@ieee.org

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