If you're looking for inspiration--or for some helpful hints for working through design problems--the following pages will fit the bill. You'll read about the people who are putting engineering on the front page with their creativity and problem-solving skills. These are the stories of the winners of the Design News Engineering Achievement Awards. Consider what our Engineer of the Year, P. Hunter Peckham, has accomplished. For the last 30 years, he has devoted himself to finding ways to help quadriplegics regain motor function. The miracles he has performed convinced readers to vote him as our 13th Engineer of the Year. You can see the accomplishments of our Special Achievement winner, Jeff Hawkins, on any airplane or in any office. Anyone using a handheld computer to keep track of meetings and to-do lists has Hawkins to thank. And engineers looking for ways to increase the quality of their products need look no further than Teradyne, where Eric Truebenbach and a team of professionals have revolutionized the product-development process. Engineer of the Year P. Hunter Peckham has pioneered development of new electrical stimulation devices to restore motor function for those paralyzed by spinal cord injuries. He will designate an engineering school to receive a $25,000 grant from the Torrington Co. Special Achievement Award Jeff Hawkins found a way to make handheld computers portable and affordable-and in the process, founded an entire industry. He will choose an engineering school to receive a $20,000 grant from the NTN Bearing Corp. of America Engineering Quality Award Eric Truebenbach and a team of engineers at Teradyne have found ways to make quality the hallmark of all the company's products. He will designate an engineering school to receive a $20,000 grant from Schneeberger Inc. The Best Product of the Year Mark Kaptu and a team from LNP Engineering Plastics have developed an innovative plastic that conducts heat. Design News readers voted the plastic Product of the Year from a field of seven finalists. Global Innovation Award Grant Albert and a team from Siemens Medical Systems won the first Omron Electronics Inc. Award for Global Innovation for technology that improves the accuracy of clinical nuclear medical imaging. Albert wins $5,000 and designates an engineering school to receive $15,000. Excellence in Design Winners Grand Prize: MSC. Software $6,000 prizes Michael Everman/Bell-Everman Tom Albrecht/IBM James Brugger/Vasca