IEEE Medal of Honor

IEEE Medal of Honor
Obverse (face) of the IEEE Medal of Honor showing two figures with lightning bolts passing between their hands
Awarded forExceptional contribution or an extraordinary career in the IEEE fields of interest
Presented byInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
First awarded1917
Websitecorporate-awards.ieee.org/ieee-medal-of-honor/ Edit this at Wikidata

The IEEE Medal of Honor is the highest recognition of the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). It has been awarded since 1917, and is presented to an individual or team of up to three who have made exceptional contributions or had extraordinary careers in technology, engineering, and science in the IEEE fields of interest. The award consists of a gold medal, a bronze replica (of the medal), a certificate,[1] and a US$2 million honorarium.[a][3]

The medal was created by the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) as the "IRE Medal of Honor". It became the IEEE Medal of Honor when the IRE merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) to form the IEEE in 1963. It was decided that IRE's Medal of Honor would be presented as IEEE's highest award. Edward Field Sanford Jr., an American sculptor, designed the medal in 1917.[2]

The first recipient was Edwin Howard Armstrong, in 1917.[2] As of 2024, 104 people have been awarded the medal, with the latest recipient being Robert E. Kahn.[4] Only one woman, Mildred Dresselhaus, has been awarded the medal, in 2015.[5][6]

  1. ^ Sharon Waters (December 8, 2023). "IEEE bestows top honors on three pioneering Princeton engineers". Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Origins of the IEEE Medal of Honor". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. June 13, 2017. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  3. ^ "Prestigious IEEE Medal of Honor Prize Is Increased to $2 Million". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Thomas Coughlin (May 16, 2024). "IEEE Honors Technological Heroes At Its Annual Honors Event". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  5. ^ Jing Kong; Tomás Palacios (2022). Mildred S. Dresselhaus - Memorial Tributes. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. doi:10.17226/26492. ISBN 978-0-309-28717-3. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024. Her many civic, social, and scientific contributions were recognized with numerous awards and honors. Among them were the ... the IEEE Medal of Honor (2015)—for which she was the first female recipient
  6. ^ Patricia Sampson (December 19, 2014). "Mildred Dresselhaus selected for the IEEE's highest honor". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.


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