Edison Medal

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The IEEE Edison Medal is presented by the IEEE "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering or the electrical arts." It is the oldest medal in this field of engineering. The award consists of a gold medal, small gold replica, certificate and honorarium.

The Edison Medal, named after the inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison, was created on 11 February 1904 by a group of Edison's friends and associates. Four years later the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) entered into an agreement with the group to present the medal as its highest award. The first medal was presented in 1909 to Elihu Thomson. Other recipients of the Edison Medal include George Westinghouse, Alexander Graham Bell, Nikola Tesla, Michael I. Pupin, Robert A. Millikan (Nobel Prize 1923), and Vannevar Bush. A complete list can be found here.

After the merger of AIEE and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), in 1963, to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), it was decided that IRE's Medal of Honor would be presented as IEEE's highest award, while the Edison Medal would become IEEE's principal medal.

[edit] History

Elihu Thomson was the very first recipient of the Edison Medal, bestowed upon him in 1909 "For meritorious achievement in electrical science, engineering and arts as exemplified in his contributions thereto during the past thirty years."

Frank J. Sprague was awarded the Edison Medal is 1910 for "For meritorious achievement in electrical science, engineering and arts as exemplified in his contributions thereto."

George Westinghouse was awarded the Edison Medal is 1911 for "For meritorious achievement in connection with the development of the alternating current system for light and power." Thomas Edison, a DC current proponent, discredited Westinghouse and Tesla, both AC current proponents, by showing that AC current was too dangerous to use, see the war of currents. He electrocuted stray dogs and cats with AC current. Edison coined the term “to Westinghouse” for the execution of humans by AC current. In view of the above, it is remarkable that Westinghouse accepted the Edison Medal in 1911 and Tesla accepted it in 1917.

Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the Edison Medal in 1914 for "For meritorious achievement in the invention of the telephone."

Nikola Tesla, 'The Genius who Lit the World', received the Edison Medal in 1917 "For meritorious achievement in his early original work in polyphase and high-frequency electrical currents." Tesla worked with Edison after he arrived in the US, but the two men were worlds apart and soon they went their separate ways again. The war of currents, AC (Tesla) and DC (Edison) that started a few years later brought animosity and bitterness to the two. Tesla's pioneering patents in electrical power ultimately helped Westinghouse win the war of the currents and earned Tesla huge fame. It is therefore not easy to understand why Tesla accepted the medal, 'which probably honored Edison more than the recipient'. After Tesla's death in 1943, his Edison Medal went missing [1].

Mihajlo Pupin received the Edison Medal in 1920 "For his work in mathematical physics and its application to the electric transmission of intelligence." He also received the IRE Medal of Honor in 1924 "In recognition of his fundamental contributions in the field of electrical tuning and the rectification of alternating currents used for signalling purposes," and the first person receiving both prestigious awards.

The Nobel prize laureat Robert Millikan received the Edison Medal in 1922 "For his experimental work in electrical science."

Frank Conrad received the Edison Medal in 1930 "For his contributions to radio broadcasting and short wave radio transmission."

Edwin Armstrong, the inventor of FM radio, who also invented the Regenerative circuit (patented 1914), the Super-regenerative circuit (patented 1922), and the Super Heterodyne receiver (patented 1918) received the 1942 Edison Medal "For distinguished contributions to the art of electric communication, notably the regenerative circuit, the superheterodyne, and frequency modulation". In 1917, he was the first recipient of the IRE's, now IEEE, Medal of Honor.

Arthur Edwin Kennelly, 1932 IRE Medal of Honor recipient, received the Edison Medal in 1933 "For meritorious achievements in electrical science, electrical engineering and the electrical arts as exemplified by his contributions to the theory of electrical transmission and to the development of international electrical standards."

Lee De Forest, 1922 IRE Medal of Honor recipient, received the Edison Medal in 1946 "For profound technical and social consequences of the grid-controlled vacuum tube which he had introduced."

Vladimir Zworykin, 1951 IRE Medal of Honor recipient, received the Edison Medal in 1952 “For his outstanding contributions to the concept and development of electronic apparatus basic to modern television, and his scientific achievements that led to fundamental advances in the application of electronics to communications, to industry and to national security."

Hendrik Wade Bode received the Edison Medal in 1969 "For fundamental contributions to the arts of communication, computation and control and for guidance and creative counsel in systems engineering."