AES Awards
Welcome to the Awards Homepage of the IEEE/AESS website. Awards are a critical part of the IEEE recognition process for its members and others who have provided significant contributions to the advancement of the Aerospace and Electronic Engineering Profession. In this portion of the website, we identify the current awards that the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society gives and others that we participate in either with other societies and the IEEE HQ.
You will find here the relevant award criteria, past award recipients, the nomination process, and other pertinent information. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need nomination support.
Erwin Gangl, AESS Awards Chairman
AES Society Awards
The Pioneer Award has been given annually since 1949 to an individual or team for “contributions significant to bringing into being systems that are still in existence today.” These systems fall within the specific areas of interest to the society, that is, electronic or aerospace systems. The contributions for which the award is bestowed are to have been made at least twenty (20) years prior to the year of the award, to ensure proper historical perspective. It is not a condition that any awardees should have been sole or original inventor or developer, “significant contribution” of a specific nature is the key criterion.
Chair of the Society Pioneer Award:
This award, established in 2007, is to recognize candidates that have the unique capability of conceiving and organizing innovative and successful events in the field of interest of the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS).
Chair of the AES Society Outstanding Organizational Leadership Award:
AUTOTESTCON
Initiated in 1985, the IEEE AUTOTESTCON Frank McGinnis Professional Achievement Award is given in the memory of the late Frank McGinnis of the Sperry Corporation, who was instrumental in bringing military automated test to the forefront of visibility for government and industry alike. Mr. McGinnis founded the Navy Ad Hoc ATE Project for the Navy in 1975, under National Security Industrial Association (NSIA) leadership, to examine and recommend to the Navy a program of research and development to help increase the competency levels of automated test. This led to a Joint Services ATE Project that started in 1978 and had a similar purpose, except the focus was tri-service. The culmination was the formation in late 1980 of the NSIA Automated Test Committee, a permanent activity to maintain a focus on military automated test. This activity is still vibrant and functioning, as a Committee of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA, successor to the NSIA) Systems Engineering Division.
The Professional Achievement Award was established in Frank McGinnis' memory and honor to recognize managers or professionals in the ATE industry who have demonstrated long-term leadership in the field. The award is presented at the AUTOTESTCON awards luncheon by the AUTOTESTCON Board Chair or Vice-Chair.
The Frank McGinnis Award is presented at AUTOTESTCON to recognize a career of outstanding leadership, individual initiative, and technical contributions in automated test engineering. Nominees must have demonstrated specified professional achievement and leadership over a career span, and participation in AUTOTESTCON.
Chapter Awards
To annually recognize the AESS Chapter whose performance is particularly noteworthy during
the previous year. Separate awards may be given to the outstanding national and international chapter.
IEEE Field Awards
This award is sponsored by the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, the IEEE Control Systems Society, and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society to recognize outstanding contributions to space engineering, within the fields of interest of the IEEE.
The IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 1986.
The Award is named in honor of IEEE Member Judith Resnik, who was a Mission Specialist on the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded on 28 January 1986. Dr. Resnik was a biomedical engineer and staff Fellow with the National Institute of Health when she was selected by NASA in 1978 to join the Space Program. She first flew as a NASA Mission Specialist on the maiden voyage of the orbiter Discovery, which, during 96 orbits of the earth, deployed three satellites and removed hazardous ice particles from the orbiter using the Remote Manipulator System, a Shuttle 50-foot robot arm for which Dr. Resnik developed operational Procedures and Software. Among other NASA projects, Dr. Resnik developed deployment procedures for a Tethered Satellite System.
Recipient selection is administered by the Technical Field Awards Council of the IEEE Awards Board.
Sponsor: IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, IEEE Control Systems Society, and IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
Presented to: An individual or team, with preference given to an individual.
Scope: For outstanding contributions to space engineering within the fields of interest of the IEEE.
Nomination deadline: 31 January
Chair of the Judith A. Resnik Award:
Other Awards
The IEEE Dennis J. Picard Medal for Radar Technologies and Applications was established in 1999, in honor of Dennis J. Picard, whose lifetime of work at Raytheon Company helped make them a leader in tactical missile systems.
Sponsor: Raytheon Co.
Presented to: An individual or group of not more than three in number.
Scope: For outstanding accomplishments in advancing the fields of radar technologies and their applications.
Nomination deadline: 1 July
Association of Old Crows (AOC) Board of Directors Award
Panel Awards
Dana White Starr and Warren H. White established the Warren D. White Memorial Fund in 1999 and the Warren D. White Award to memorialize their father. The award, a plaque and honorarium, is to recognize a radar engineer for outstanding achievements due to a major technical advance (or series of advances) in the art of radar engineering. The advance, significant, public, and well-known, shall be evidenced by technical papers, inventions, presentations, or products. Nominees need not be a member of IEEE or AESS. Nominations must allow appraisal of the candidate's contribution(s).
Chair of the Warren D. White Award:
This award is in honor of the late Fred Nathanson, and is sponsored by the IEEE Radar Systems Panel of the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society. The purpose of this award is to grant international recognition for outstanding contributions to the radar art by your IEEE/AESS members. The goals of the Radar Systems Panel in granting this award are to encourage individual effort and to foster increased participation by developing radar engineers. Established to grant recognition for outstanding contributions to the radar art, this award, consisting of a plaque and honorarium, is to recognize a member of AESS who has not exceeded the age of 40 in the year nominated. Nominees must be a member (in any grade) of IEEE/AESS and must have made outstanding contributions to the radar art; nominations must permit appraisal of the contributions.
Chair of the Fred Nathanson Memorial Radar Award:
To recognize an AESS Technical Panel whose performance is particularly noteworthy during the previous year in supporting AESS.
Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS)
In 1986, the PLANS Executive Committee established an award for outstanding achievement. The purpose was to recognize individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the technology of navigation and position equipment, systems or practices. The committee has established this as a PLANS tradition, thus permitting the IEEE to recognize those who have contributed most significantly to this modern era of electronic navigation.
It is appropriate that the award has been named for Dr. Richard B. Kershner (1913-1982). Dr. Kershner participated in the initial conception and then led the development of Transit, the world's first navigation satellite system. His technical contributions and his leadership of the Program at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory are examples of the highest standards of personal and professional performance which this award is intended to recognize. The Transit Program was first funded in 1959, and the system become operational in 1964. During this short interval Dr. Kershner directed the development and launch of some of the world's first satellites, developed user equipment for both submarines and surface ships, and founded the science of satellite Doppler geodesy to improve knowledge of the earth's gravity field. The result was a navigation satellite system which served the U.S. Navy and tens of thousands of civil users worldwide.
The Award is presented at the biennial Position Location and Navigation (PLANS) Conference.
Past Recipients:
1986 Bradford W. Parkinson
1988 Fred Aronowitz
1990 Bahar J. Uttam
1992 John Alvin Pierce & Eric R. Swanson
1994 Joseph Kilpatrick
1996 Charles Trimble
1998 Charles C. Counselman III
2000 Thomas A. Stansell
2002 R. Grover Brown
2004 Itzhack Bar-Itzhack
2006 Myron C. Kayton
2008 A. J. Van Dierendonck
2010 James Huddle
This award, established in 2000, is for the recognition of an individual who has made a substantial contribution to the technology of navigation and positioning equipment, systems, or practices. It is to recognize the best paper, in honor of the late Walter R. Fried, presented at the Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS) conference.
The Walter Fried Award for Best Paper is a personalized plaque and a financial honorarium of $750 for the lead author.
The selection criteria includes:
* technical content
* innovation
* importance and timeliness of the subject matter
* conciseness, clarity and completeness of the written material.
The paper must appear in the proceedings, and must be presented by the lead author (who must be present to receive the award at the PLANS Awards Luncheon on Thursday).
Walter R. Fried
Walter Fried was born in Vienna, Austria in 1923. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 17 and first resided in Cincinnati, Ohio. During World War II, he served in the U. S. Army in Europe as a translator and interpreter. After the war, Walter earned his engineering degrees at the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University.
Walter’s first professional job was at Wright Field in the then new field of airborne radar. His next job was at the General Precision Company in New Jersey where he contributed to the development of multi-beam Doppler radar for navigation system applications. This was followed by an assignment as Chief Scientist for the F-111 avionics at the North American Autonetics Division in California where he was also involved with the beginnings of the GPS program. He then became the Technical Director at Hughes Aircraft for the Relative Navigation portion of the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS).
In recognition of his professional engineering accomplishments, Walter was elected to be a Fellow in the IEEE in 1981 “for contributions and technical leadership in the development of Doppler radar and relative navigation systems.”
During his distinguished career, Walter generously volunteered his time to the IEEE Aerospace Electronics Systems Society (AESS) by serving on the Board of Governors for many years and coordinating the activities of the AESS Technical Panels and the Distinguished Lecturers Program of which he was also a participant. He was the AESS representative on the PLANS Executive Committee since the first conference in 1976 until his death at 75 in 1998.
Walter lectured widely throughout the world on navigation topics and was also well known internationally, for his work as a co-editor of both the 1st and 2nd editions of the important reference book "Avionics Navigation Systems".
Past Recipients:
2002 Dennis Akos
2004 Maria Bualat & Masayoshi Matsuoka
2006 Felix Goldenberg
2008 Robert A. Newgard
Publication Awards
Description: The M. Barry Carlton Award acknowledges what is judged the best paper in the AES Transactions in each calendar year. In 1957, a year after his death in an air accident, M. Barry Carlton's friends established the award as a means to honor a man who had dedicated much of his life to promoting the reliability of communications equipment, especially that relating to air transportation. It is one of the IEEE's oldest awards and supports a wonderful tradition of excellence.
We urge our Transactions readers to participate in the tradition. If you have read a paper that you feel is outstanding (and it doesn't matter whether or not you are acquainted with the authors) please consider nominating it. The procedure is simple: just send a letter or email to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) explaining the rationale for your choice, and arrange (for least) two endorsers who will send in supporting letters. In doing so you will not only show your respect for the authors (and possibly give great help to some deserving careers) but you also honor Mr. Carlton.
Chair of the M. Barry Carlton Award:
Description
Established in 1979, this award is to recognize and foster excellence in clear communications of technical material of widespread interest to AESS members, and in doing so, to honor the contributions of AES Transactions Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Dr. Harry Rowe Mimno to the AESS and IEEE for over 50 years. The award is to the author of a paper which is primarily tutorial (including surveys), speculative, or which advocates new ideas or principles tending to promote debate. It is selected from among those published in the IEEE Aerospace & Electronic Systems Magazine. Prior to 1987, the Mimno Award was made for contributions to IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems.
Chair of the Harry Rowe Mimno Award:
