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RUSSES
ENDOW INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING PRIZE
Contact:
Dwight Woodward, (740) 593-1886
Editors: A photo of the Russes is available at:
ATHENS,
Ohio -- The National Academy of Engineering will sponsor a
biennial $500,000 prize in honor of longtime Ohio University
benefactors Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ.
The Russ
Prize, funded through a $5.8 million Ohio University
endowment from the Russes, becomes one of the top two
engineering prizes in the world. The endowment will grow to
at least $7.2 million.
The Russ
Prize will recognize outstanding achievement in an
engineering field of critical importance that contributes to
improving the human condition. The first Russ Prize, to be
awarded in 2000, will recognize achievement in biotechnology
engineering.
"Engineers
make a major contribution to our society and they don't get
adequate recognition," Fritz Russ said. "The space program,
automobile, bioengineering, medical technology, television,
communication and computers are just a few examples.
"I had a
dream of how to enhance the image of an engineer and the
dream called for a prize as a means to getting better
recognition. The prize is patterned after the Nobel Prize
and we hope it will enhance engineering and attract more
people to the field. Ohio University has a great college of
engineering and I want to tell the world about it. The
National Academy of Engineering is the best vehicle to award
the prize."
The Russ
Prize joins the Charles Stark Draper Prize as the top
engineering awards in the world. The $500,000 Draper Prize,
endowed by Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, Mass., was
established in 1988 to recognize individuals whose
outstanding engineering achievements have contributed to the
well-being and freedom of humanity.
"The
dedication of $1 million shows the National Academy of
Engineering's commitment to recognizing those who have
devoted a lifetime to the advancement of engineering and its
benefits to society," said Wm. A. Wulf, president of the
academy. "It is important that the NAE continues to honor
leaders in the industry who perpetuate critical thinking and
technological advancements."
Fritz
Russ, a former university trustee, graduated from Ohio
University in 1942 with a bachelor of science degree in
electrical engineering. The Fritz
and Dolores Russ College of Engineering and
Technology
was dedicated to the Russes in 1994.
"The Russ
Prize demonstrates the Russes' commitment to both Ohio
University and the engineering profession," said Ohio
University President Robert Glidden. "They feel strongly
about both, and we are grateful for their generosity. The
prize will reward outstanding achievement in the engineering
profession, and of course it will bring recognition to Ohio
University and the Russ College of Engineering and
Technology."
The
Russes, of Dayton, Ohio, and Naples, Fla., founded Systems
Research Laboratories in Dayton in 1955. The engineering and
research company has more than 1,000 employees and is one of
the Dayton area's largest employers.
"The Russ
Prize will further elevate the image of engineers and
enhance the recognition of what engineering has done and
will continue to do for society," said Kent Wray, dean of
the Russ College of Engineering. "The Russ Prize will
recognize the unique collaboration occurring between the
engineering and medical professions and celebrate landmark
achievements and create excitement about what biomedical
engineering will bring about in the future."
Ohio
University was chartered by the state of Ohio in 1804 and is
the oldest university in the Northwest Territory. The
university, designated a Research II university by the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, enrolls
more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the
main campus in Athens and at five regional campuses.
Founded in
1964, the National Academy of Engineering provides
engineering leadership in service to the nation, and works
to build and to articulate the implications of rapid
technological change, affecting the way people work, learn,
and play. Operating under the same congressional Act of
Incorporation signed in 1863 by President Lincoln that
established the National Academy of Sciences, the NAE is
directed whenever called on by any department or agency of
the government, to investigate, examine, experiment and
report on any subject of science and technology.
For more
information about the National Academy of Engineering and
the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize, contact Daniel N.
Whitt, Jr., NAE awards administrator, at (202) 334-1237.
Also, you can visit the NAE web site at www.nae.edu.
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