The American Association of Engineering Societies has awarded the John Fritz Medal to Kristina M. Johnson, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The Johns Hopkins University. Previous winners of the award, widely considered to be the highest in the engineering profession, include Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Westinghouse, and Orville Wright.
With more than 140 published articles, Johnson is known for pioneering work in “smart pixel arrays,” a field that has applications in displays, pattern recognition, and high-resolution sensors, including cameras. She holds 129 U.S. and international patents and patents pending and is a co-founder of several start-up companies. She also sits on the boards of directors of Mineral Technologies Inc., Boston Scientific Corp., AES Corp., and Nortel Networks. The association said Johnson is being honored for “her internationally acknowledged expertise in optics, optoelectronic switching and display technology.”
“I am thrilled and extremely humbled to receive this award,” Johnson said. “This is really special because it recognizes inventors, and I am happiest when inventing. It is made even more special by the fact that the 1906 recipient was George Westinghouse, who my grandfather, Charles Johnson, worked directly for as an engineer in the 1920s.”
A master plaque for the John Fritz Medal states that the medal was established by the professional associates and friends of John Fritz of Bethlehem, Pa., on August 21, 1902, “to perpetuate the memory of his achievements in industrial progress.” Since then, the medal has been presented almost every year for scientific or industrial achievement in any field of pure or applied science. Johnson will receive the award on May 5 during the Association’s 29th annual awards dinner at the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C.
American Association of Engineering Societies
www.aaes.org
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