The Washington Award is an American

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

award. Since 1916 it has been given annually for "accomplishments which promote the happiness, comfort, and well-being of humanity". It is awarded jointly by the following engineering societies:

American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members. It was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Uni ...

American Nuclear Society The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is an international, not-for-profit organization of scientists, engineers, and industry professionals that promote the field of nuclear engineering and related disciplines. ANS is composed of three communities ...

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

National Society of Professional Engineers The National Society of Professional Engineers (abbreviate as NSPE) is a professional association representing licensed professional engineers in the United States. NSPE is the recognized voice and advocate of licensed Professional Engineers repr ...

, and

Western Society of Engineers The Western Society of Engineers is a professional and educational organization founded in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on May 25, 1869 as the Civil Engineers' Club of the Northwest. In 1880 the club was incorporated as the Western Society of Engineers. ...

(which administers the award).

Honorees

Source
The Washington Award
* Herbert C. Hoover, 1919 *

Robert W. Hunt Robert Woolston Hunt (December 9, 1838 – July 11, 1923) was an American metallurgical engineer, inventor, and superintendent in the steel industry. He is known as president of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in 1883 and 1906; presiden ...

, 1922 * Arthur N. Talbot, 1924 * Jonas Waldo Smith, 1925 *

John Watson Alvord John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, 1926 * Orville Wright, 1927 * Michael Idvorsky Pupin, 1928 * Bion Joseph Arnold, 1929 *

Mortimer Elwyn Cooley Mortimer Elwyn Cooley (March 28, 1855 – August 25, 1944) was an American mechanical and consulting engineer, US Naval officer, politician, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, who served as president of the Ame ...

, 1930 *

Ralph Modjeski Ralph Modjeski (born Rudolf Modrzejewski; January 27, 1861 – June 26, 1940) was a Polish-American civil engineer who achieved prominence as "America's greatest bridge builder." Life He was born in Bochnia, called Galicia at the time, on Janua ...

, 1931 *

William David Coolidge William David Coolidge (; October 23, 1873 – February 3, 1975) was an American physicist and engineer, who made major contributions to X-ray machines. He was the director of the General Electric Research Laboratory and a vice-president of t ...

, 1932 *

Ambrose Swasey Ambrose Swasey (December 19, 1846 – June 15, 1937) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, manager, astronomer, and philanthropist. With Worcester R. Warner he co-founded the Warner & Swasey Company. Life and work Swasey ...

, 1935 * Charles Franklin Kettering, 1936 *

Frederick Gardner Cottrell Frederick Gardner Cottrell (January 10, 1877 – November 16, 1948) was an American physical chemist, inventor and philanthropist. He is best known for his invention of the electrostatic precipitator, one of the first inventions designed to e ...

, 1937 * Frank Baldwin Jewett, 1938 *

Daniel Webster Mead Daniel Webster Mead (March 6, 1862 – October 13, 1948) was an American engineering consultant and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is remembered for designing hydroelectric plants and writing early textbooks on hydraulic engine ...

, 1939 *

Daniel Cowan Jackling Daniel Cowan Jackling (August 14, 1869 – March 13, 1956), was an American mining and metallurgical engineer who pioneered the exploitation of low-grade porphyry copper ores at the Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah. Biography Early life Born near ...

, 1940 *

Ralph Budd Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, 1941 *

William Lamont Abbott William Lamont Abbott (February 14, 1861 – February 20, 1951) was an American mechanical engineer, chief operating engineer of Commonwealth Edison, president of the board of trustees of the University of Illinois, and president of the American So ...

, 1942 *

Andrey Abraham Potter Andrey (Andy) Abraham Potter (August 5, 1882 – November 5, 1979) was a Russian-American mechanical engineer and educator,Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

, 1944 *

Arthur Holly Compton Arthur Holly Compton (September 10, 1892 – March 15, 1962) was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his 1923 discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radia ...

, 1945 *

Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush ( ; March 11, 1890 – June 28, 1974) was an American engineer, inventor and science administrator, who during World War II headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), through which almost all wartime ...

, 1946 *

Karl Taylor Compton Karl Taylor Compton (September 14, 1887 – June 22, 1954) was a prominent American physicist and president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1930 to 1948. The early years (1887–1912) Karl Taylor Compton was born in ...

, 1947 *

Ralph Edward Flanders Ralph Edward Flanders (September 28, 1880 – February 19, 1970) was an American mechanical engineer, industrialist and politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the U.S. state, ...

, 1948 *

John Lucian Savage John Lucian Savage (December 25, 1879 – December 28, 1967) was an American civil engineer. Among the 60 major dams he supervised the designs for, he is best known for the Hoover Dam, Shasta Dam, Parker Dam and Grand Coulee Dam in the United ...

, 1949 *

Wilfred Sykes Wilfred may refer to: * Wilfred (given name), a given name and list of people (and fictional characters) with the name * Wilfred, Indiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * ''Wilfred'' (Australian TV series), a comedy series * ' ...

, 1950 *

Edwin Howard Armstrong Edwin Howard Armstrong (December 18, 1890 – February 1, 1954) was an American electrical engineer and inventor, who developed FM (frequency modulation) radio and the superheterodyne receiver system. He held 42 patents and received numerous aw ...

, 1951 * Henry Townley Heald, 1952 *

Gustav Egloff Gustav Egloff (1886–1955) was an American chemist nicknamed Gasoline Gus. He was Universal Oil Products' first chemist and by 1917 became their director, serving in that capacity until death. ''Science'' magazine described him as a "human catalys ...

, 1953 *

Lillian Moller Gilbreth Lillian Evelyn Gilbreth (; May 24, 1878 – January 2, 1972) was an American psychologist, industrial engineer, consultant, and educator who was an early pioneer in applying psychology to time-and-motion studies. She was described in the 1940s ...

, 1954 *

Charles Erwin Wilson Charles Erwin Wilson (July 18, 1890 – September 26, 1961) was an American engineer and businessman who served as United States Secretary of Defense from 1953 to 1957 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Known as "Engine Charlie", he was prev ...

, 1955 *

Robert E. Wilson The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, 1956 *

Walker Lee Cisler Walker Lee Cisler (October 8, 1897 – October 18, 1994) was a noted American engineer, business executive, and a founding member of the National Academy of Engineering. Early life Walker Lee Cisler was born on October 8, 1897, in Marietta, Oh ...

, 1957 *

Ben Moreell Admiral Ben Moreell (September 14, 1892 – July 30, 1978) was the chief of the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks and of the Civil Engineer Corps. Best known to the American public as the father of the Navy's Seabees, Moreell's life spanned ...

, 1958 *

James R. Killian, Jr. James Rhyne Killian Jr. (July 24, 1904 – January 29, 1988) was the 10th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1948 until 1959. Early life Killian was born on July 24, 1904, in Blacksburg, South Carolina. His father ...

, 1959 * Herbert Payne Sedwick, 1960 * William V. Kahler, 1961 *

Alexander C. Monteith Alexander Crawford Monteith (April 10, 1902 – September 17, 1979) was a Senior Vice-President of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and for more than forty years a leader in the development of electric power systems. Monteith received his ...

, 1962 *

Philip Sporn Philip Sporn (November 25, 1896 in Folotwin, Austria – January 23, 1978 in New York City) was an Austrian electrical engineer known for his work as the president and chief executive officer of the American Gas and Electric Company. He re ...

, 1963 *

John Slezak John Slezak (April 18, 1896 – April 14, 1984) was United States Under Secretary of the Army from 1954 to 1955. Biography John Slezak was born in Stará Turá, Austria-Hungary (in modern Slovakia) on April 18, 1896. After immigrating to the Un ...

, 1964 *

Glenn Theodore Seaborg Glenn Theodore Seaborg (; April 19, 1912February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the Synthetic element, synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Che ...

, 1965 *

Augustus Braun Kinzel Augustus Braun Kinzel (July 26, 1900 – October 23, 1987) was a noted American metallurgist and first president of the National Academy of Engineering. Biography Kinzel was born in New York City. He received his A.B. in mathematics from Columbia ...

, 1966 *

Frederick Lawson Hovde Frederick Lawson Hovde (7 February 1908 – 1 March 1983) was an American chemical engineer, researcher, educator and president of Purdue University. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Hovde received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Univer ...

, 1967 *

James B. Fisk James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, 1968 *

Nathan M. Newmark Nathan Mortimore Newmark (September 22, 1910 – January 25, 1981) was an American structural engineer and academic, who is widely considered one of the founding fathers of earthquake engineering. He was awarded the National Medal of Science fo ...

, 1969 * H.G. Rickover, 1970 * William L. Everitt, 1971 *

Thomas Otten Paine Thomas Otten Paine (November 9, 1921 – May 4, 1992) was an American engineer, scientist and advocate of space exploration, and was the third Administrator of NASA, serving from March 21, 1969, to September 15, 1970. During his administration ...

, 1972 * John A. Volpe, 1973 *

John D. deButts John D. deButts (1915–1986) was an American businessman. He served as the chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T from 1972 to 1979.Eric N. BergJohn D. deButts, Ex-Chairman of A.T.&T., Is Dead ''The New York Times'', December 18, 1986

, 1974 *

David Packard David Packard ( ; September 7, 1912 – March 26, 1996) was an American electrical engineer and co-founder, with Bill Hewlett, of Hewlett-Packard (1939), serving as president (1947–64), CEO (1964–68), and chairman of the board (1964–6 ...

, 1975 *

Ralph B. Peck Ralph Brazelton Peck (June 23, 1912 – February 18, 2008) was a civil engineer specializing in soil mechanics. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1976 "for his development of the science and art of subsurface engineering, combining t ...

, 1976 *

Michael Tenenbaum Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, 1977 *

Dixy Lee Ray Dixy Lee Ray (September 3, 1914 – January 2, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 17th governor of Washington from 1977 to 1981. Variously described as idiosyncratic and "ridiculously smart," she was the state's first female gover ...

, 1978 *

Marvin Camras Marvin Camras (January 1, 1916 – June 23, 1995) was an electrical engineer and inventor who was widely influential in the field of magnetic recording. Camras built his first recording device, a wire recorder, in the 1930s for a cousin who w ...

, 1979 *

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

, 1980 *

John E. Swearingen John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, 1981 *

Manson Benedict Manson Benedict (October 9, 1907 – September 18, 2006) was an American nuclear engineer and a professor of nuclear engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From 1958 to 1968, he was the chairman of the advisory committ ...

, 1982 *

John Bardeen John Bardeen (; May 23, 1908 – January 30, 1991) was an American physicist and engineer. He is the only person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the tran ...

, 1983 *

Robert W. Galvin Robert William "Bob" Galvin (October 9, 1922 – October 11, 2011) was an American executive. He was the son of the founder of Motorola, Paul Galvin, and served as the CEO of Motorola from 1959 to 1986. Motorola career Born in Marshfield, Wiscon ...

, 1984 *

Stephen D. Bechtel Stephen Davison Bechtel (September 24, 1900 – March 14, 1989) was the son of Clara Alice West and Warren A. Bechtel, founder of the Bechtel Corporation. He was the president of the company from 1933 to 1960. Early life Stephen Davison Bechte ...

, 1985 *

Mark Shepherd Jr. Mark Shepherd Jr. (January 18, 1923 – February 4, 2009) was the chairman and chief executive officer of Texas Instruments. He was in attendance at the demonstration of the integrated circuit by Jack Kilby on September 12, 1958. Biography Shepher ...

, 1986 *

Grace Murray Hopper Grace Brewster Hopper (; December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992) was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and United States Navy rear admiral. One of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, she was a pioneer of com ...

, 1987 * James McDonald, 1988 *

Sherwood L. Fawcett Sherwood may refer to: Places Australia *Sherwood, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Sherwood, South Australia, a locality * Shire of Sherwood, a former local government area of Queensland *Electoral district of Sherwood, an electoral district fro ...

, 1989 *

John H. Sununu John Henry Sununu (born July 2, 1939) is an American politician who was the 75th governor of New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989 and later White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush. Born in Cuba to an American father and a Salva ...

, 1990 *

Frank Borman Frank Frederick Borman II (born March 14, 1928) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) colonel, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, businessman, and NASA astronaut. He was the commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moo ...

, 1991 *

Leon M. Lederman Leon Max Lederman (July 15, 1922 – October 3, 2018) was an American experimental physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1988, along with Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger, for research on neutrinos. He also received the Wolf P ...

, 1992 * William States Lee, 1993 * Kenneth H. Olson, 1994 *

George W. Housner George W. Housner (December 9, 1910 in Saginaw, Michigan – November 10, 2008 in Pasadena, California) was a professor of earthquake engineering at the California Institute of Technology and National Medal of Science laureate. Biography Housner r ...

, 1995 *

Wilson Greatbatch Wilson Greatbatch (September 6, 1919 – September 27, 2011) was an American engineer and pioneering inventor. He held more than 325 patents and was a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Lemelson–MIT Prize ...

, 1996 *

Frank Kreith Frank Kreith (15 December 1922 – 8 January 2018)Obituaries
American Society of Mechanical Engin ...

, 1997 *

John R. Conrad John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, 1998 *

Jack S. Kilby Jack St. Clair Kilby (November 8, 1923 – June 20, 2005) was an American electrical engineer who took part (along with Robert Noyce of Fairchild) in the realization of the first integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments (TI) in 195 ...

, 1999 *

Donna Lee Shirley Donna Lee Shirley ( Donna Lee Pivorotta; born 1941) is a former manager of Mars Exploration Program, Mars Exploration at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She is the author of the book ''Managing Martians: The Extraordinary Story of a Woman's L ...

, 2000 *

Dan Bricklin Daniel Singer Bricklin (born July 16, 1951) is an American businessman and engineer who is the co-creator, with Bob Frankston, of the VisiCalc spreadsheet program. He also founded Software Garden, Inc., of which he is currently president, and T ...

, 2001 *

Bob Frankston Robert M. Frankston (born June 14, 1949) is an American software engineer and businessman who co-created, with Dan Bricklin, the VisiCalc spreadsheet program. Frankston is also the co-founder of Software Arts. Early life and education Franksto ...

, 2001 *

Richard J. Robbins Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

, 2002 *

Eugene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being to ...

, 2003 *

Nick Holonyak Nick Holonyak Jr. ( ; November 3, 1928September 18, 2022) was an American engineer and educator. He is noted particularly for his 1962 invention and first demonstration of a semiconductor laser diode that emitted visible light. This device was t ...

, 2004 * Robert S. Langer, 2005 *

Henry Petroski Henry Petroski (February 6, 1942) is an American engineer specializing in failure analysis. A professor both of civil engineering and history at Duke University, he is also a prolific author. Petroski has written over a dozen books – beginning ...

, 2006 * Michael J. Birck, 2007 *

Dean Kamen Dean Lawrence Kamen (born April 5, 1951) is an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is known for his invention of the Segway and iBOT, as well as founding the non-profit organization FIRST with Woodie Flowers. Kamen holds over 1,000 ...

, 2008 *

Clyde N. Baker, Jr. Clyde N. Baker Jr. (May 6, 1930 – August 26, 2022) was an American geotechnical engineer who received awards for his work to design advanced foundations supporting tall structures. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering ...

, 2009 * Alvy Ray Smith, 2010 *

Martin C. Jischke Martin Charles Jischke (JIS-key) (born August 7, 1941) is a prominent American higher-education administrator and advocate, and was the tenth president of Purdue University. Dr. Jischke has served as chairman and board member of the National A ...

, 2011 * Martin Cooper, 2012 *

Kristina M. Johnson Kristina M. Johnson (born May 7, 1957) is an American business executive, engineer, academic, and former government official who served as the 13th chancellor of the State University of New York from September 2017 until June 2020. In June 202 ...

, 2013 *

Bill Nye William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955), popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter. He is best known as the host of the science television show ''Bill ...

, 2014http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/chicago_news&id=9441300 *

Bernard Amadei Bernard Amadei (born July 23, 1954) is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, founding president of Engineers Without Borders (USA), co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders-International Network, and founding ...

, 2015 * Aprille Joy Ericsson, 2016 * Chuck Hull, 2017 *

Ivan Sutherland Ivan Edward Sutherland (born May 16, 1938) is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer, widely regarded as a pioneer of computer graphics. His early work in computer graphics as well as his teaching with David C. Evans in that subje ...

, 2018 * Margaret Hamilton, 2019 * Richard A. Berger, 2020 * John B. Goodenough, 2021

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.thewashingtonaward.com/ Engineering awards Awards established in 1916 American science and technology awards

Honorees

See also

References

External links