For 21 years, with the help of a group of important and forward-thinking companies, Design News has been honoring the best and brightest in engineering through our Engineering Achievement Awards. The winners you'll meet on the following pages have shown us the meaning of "excellence." We salute them for their accomplishments and their vision.
ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
PAUL BEVILAQUA, Chief Engineer, Advanced Development Projects, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
A new propulsion system concept is an extremely rare occurrence in the field of aeronautics. But Skunk Works Engineer Paul Bevilaqua's dream of a revolutionary, dual-cycle turbofan/turboshaft engine became a reality for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) short take-off, vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft. His design was credited for the huge Lockheed Martin JSF win in 2002-the largest aircraft contract ever awarded.
Award Sponsor: The Timken Company.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
ANTHONY M. DIGIOIA, III, MD and Engineer, Western Pennsylvania Hospital
DiGioia, an engineer and a surgeon, invented Hip-Nav, a computer-based planning tool that enables surgeons to more accurately select and position a prosthetic hip prior to performing hip-replacement surgery.
Award Sponsor: Phillips Plastics.
WOMEN IN ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
BARB SAMARDZICH, Executive Director, Small Front- and Rear-Wheel Drive Vehicles, Ford Motor Co.
Samardzich dramatically improved the reliability of Ford's auto-matic transmissions. Now, she heads the 2005 Mustang team.
Award Sponsor: Autodesk Inc.
QUALITY AWARD
BRIAN RUFFERT and team, Platform Director for Sportsters Motorcycles, Harley-Davidson
Harley's engineering expertise and universally acknowledged quality have made it the unrivaled leader in its industry. Brian Ruffert led the team that completely redesigned the Sportster Motorcycle, improving the bike's ergonomics, styling, and engine performance.
Award sponsor: ITT Industries Cannon.
GLOBAL INNOVATION
BRETT BLAISDELL and team, Plastics Engineer, Kodak
Photographic film and the additives used in engineering plastics don't always mix, making it tough to develop materials for single-use cameras. Blaisdell led a team of Kodak engineers that developed a new kind of colorful camera that can sport different looks in different parts of the world.
Award Sponsor: Omron Electronics Inc.
COLLEGE DESIGN ENGINEERING AWARD
BETO PELIKS and team, Students, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peliks and fellow engineering students at MIT developed a low-cost microfilm projector for use in Third World countries that displays large, clear images that many people can view simultaneously.
Award sponsor: ANSYS Inc.
BEST PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
GORE(TM) TRACKLESS CABLE ASSEMBLIES
Readers voted Gore(TM)'s Trackless Cable Assemblies, which nearly quadruple the travel range of unsupported hybrid planar cable, as top product of the year. Made for light manufacturing applications, the cable assemblies can eliminate the space, time, and cost required for installation and maintenance. Gore is a maker of high-performance components for the electronics market.