The John Fritz Medal
The John Fritz Medal was established in 1902 in honor of John Fritz, famed iron and steel manufacturer, and is awarded annually by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for important achievements in science or industry. The medal "is the highest award in the engineering profession," according to the AAES.
The Fritz Medal rotates among the five leading international engineering societies that make up the AAES, so that each discipline has one winner every five years. Those societies are the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. The following is a list of the winners who are members and a short description of their contributions:
| Year | Award Recipient | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Julia R. Weertman, Illinois Gamma '46 | exceptional contributions to our understanding of failure in materials and for inspiring generations of young women to pursue careers in the science and engineering disciplines |
| 2009 | Yvonne C. Brill, South Carolina Gamma '45 | rocket propulsion systems (electrothermal hydrazine thruster) |
| 2008 | Kristina M. Johnson, North Carolina Gamma '81 | director, Minerals Technologies Inc., provost, John Hopkins Univ. |
| 2005 | George Tamaro, New York Xi '59 | stabilizing the foundation of the World Trade Center |
| 2004 | John A. Swanson, New York Delta '62 | founder and CEO, ANSYS Inc. |
| 2003 | Robert S. Langer, New York Delta '70 | biotechnology, MIT research laboratory |
| 2000 | John W. Fisher, Missouri Gamma '56 | founder of ATLSS Research Center |
| 1999 | George H. Heilmeier, Pennsylvania Delta '58 | president and CEO, Bell Communications Research, Inc. |
| 1997 | Arthur E. Humphrey, Idaho Alpha '48 | dean of Penn School of Engineering |
| 1995 | Lynn S. Beedle, California Alpha '41 | structural engineer of skyscrapers |
| 1994 | Hoyt C. Hottel, Massachusetts Beta '22 | solar energy research |
| 1992 | Serge Gratch, Pennsylvania Delta '43 | alternative fuels and electric car research |
| 1991 | Hunter Rouse, Massachusetts Beta '29 | Fluid Mechanics for Hydraulic Engineers |
| 1987 | Ralph Landau, Pennsylvania Delta '37 | co-founder, Scientific Design Company Inc. |
| 1986 | Simon Ramo, Utah Alpha '33 | microwave research |
| 1985 | Daniel C. Drucker, New York Alpha '38 | Drucker's Stability Postulate |
| 1984 | Kenneth A. Roe, New York Iota '41 | AAES founder |
| 1983 | Claude E. Shannon, Michigan Gamma '36 | father of information theory |
| 1982 | David Packard, California Gamma '34 | co-founder, Hewlett Packard |
| 1978 | Robert G. Heitz, California Beta '36 | Dow Chemical Co. |
| 1977 | George R. Brown, Colorado Alpha '22 | founding member of Brown & Root and the Brown Foundation |
| 1975 | Manson Benedict, Massachusetts Beta '28 | nuclear engineering |
| 1974 | H. I. Romnes, Wisconsin Alpha '28 | former president, Western Electric Co. |
| 1971 | Patrick E. Haggerty, Wisconsin Beta '36 | former president, Texas Instruments Inc. |
| 1970 | Glenn B. Warren, Wisconsin Alpha '19 | manager of GE engineering turbine generator div. |
| 1969 | Michael L. Haider, California Gamma '27 | former board chairman, Standard Oil of New Jersey |
| 1967 | Walker L. Cisler, New York Delta '22 | founding member, National Academy of Engineering |
| 1966 | Warren K. Lewis, Massachusetts Beta 1905 | father of modern chemical engineering |
| 1965 | Frederick R. Kappel, Minnesota Alpha '24 | former president, AT&T |
| 1962 | Crawford H. Greenewalt, Delaware Alpha '22 | former president, DuPont engineering |
| 1961 | Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., Indiana Alpha '46 | chairman of Bechtel Group Inc. |
| 1959 | Mervin J. Kelly, Missouri Beta '14 | former president, Bell Labs |
| 1958 | John R. Suman, California Alpha '12 | first president of Houston Geological Society |
| 1957 | Ben Moreell, Missouri Gamma '13 | father of the Navy's Seabees |
| 1956 | Philip Sporn, New York Alpha '17 | former president, American Electric Power Co. |
| 1955 | Harry A. Winne, New York Beta '10 | atomic energy |
| 1952 | Ervin G. Bailey, Ohio Gamma 1903 | invented the Bailey boiler meter |
| 1951 | Vannevar Bush, Massachusetts Beta '16 | analog computing, presidential science advisor |
| 1950 | Walter H. Aldridge, New York Alpha 1887 | former president, Texas Gulf Sulfur Co. |
| 1949 | Charles M. Allen, Massachusetts Alpha 1894 | helped enable turbine efficiency determination |
| 1948 | Theodore Von Karman, California Beta 1902 | former head of Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory |
| 1947 | Lewis W. Chubb, Ohio Gamma 1905 | former director, Westinghouse Research Laboratory |
| 1945 | John L. Savage, Wisconsin Alpha 1903 | supervised Hoover Dam |
| 1944 | Charles F. Kettering, Ohio Gamma 1904 | inventor of "Freon" |
| 1942 | Everette L. DeGolyer, Oklahoma Alpha '11 | father of applied geophysics |
| 1940 | Clarence F. Hirshfeld, California Alpha 1902 | heat-power engineering |
| 1939 | Frank B. Jewett, California Beta 1898 | president of Bell Labs |
| 1937 | Arthur N. Talbot, Illinois Alpha 1881 | The Railway Transition Spiral |
| 1932 | Michael I. Pupin, New York Alpha 1883 | long-distance telephone communication, electrical filters |
| 1930 | Ralph Modjeski, Illinois Alpha 1885 | bridge builder (Benjamin Franklin Bridge) |
| 1927 | Elmer A. Sperry, New Jersey Alpha '21 | Sperry Corporation, compasses |
| 1919 | Gen. George W. Goethals, Michigan Gamma 1880 | supervision of Panama Canal |
| 1914 | John E. Sweet, New York Beta 1909 | founder of ASME (3rd president) |
| 1902 | John Fritz, Pennsylvania Alpha 1895 | famed iron and steel manufacturer |