CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Nov 1, 2002--The International Engineering Consortium recently presented the IEC Fellow Award to Dr. Richard Schwartz, current Co-Director of the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The award was made in a ceremony at the IEC`s annual Executive ComForum gathering, held this year in Boca Raton, Fla. The IEC Fellow Award was established in 1994 to recognize individuals who have provided the information industry with a superior level of sustained and significant service. Areas of service considered for the award include education, technology, and industry leadership. Dr. Schwartz joined the RCA David Sarnoff Research Laboratory in 1957 after receiving his B.S.E.E. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. At RCA, he worked on the development of what were, at the time, high-speed computers. In 1958 he received a National Science Foundation Fellowship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While attending MIT, he joined with eight other graduate students to found Energy Conversion, Inc., a manufacturer of thermoelectric materials, devices and systems. As Vice President of Engineering at Energy Conversion, Dr. Schwartz developed new techniques for growing single-crystal quaternary thermoelectric materials and creating high-performance thermoelectric heat pump modules. He received his S.M.E.E. from MIT in 1959 and his Sc.D. in 1962. Dr. Schwartz joined the faculty of the Purdue School of Engineering in 1964 and became both a full professor and Assistant Head for Instruction in 1972. He was named Head of the School in 1985 and Dean of the Purdue Schools of Engineering in 1995, serving in the latter post until 2002. In addition to consulting with a number of corporations, Dr. Schwartz has returned to the faculty of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue. Dr. Schwartz was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 1987, in recognition of his work on the analysis, design and development of high-intensity silicon solar cells. He received the NASA Recognition Award in 1973 for his research work and the Distinguished Service Citation and the Centennial Medal from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989 and 1991 respectively. In 1998, Dr. Schwartz received the IEEE William Cherry Award for his contributions to the field of photovoltaics. The author of more than 100 papers, Dr. Schwartz served as the Chairman of the Science and Technology Advisory Committee for the Department of Energy`s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and was a board member for both the National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association and the International Committee for the European Union`s Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference. He chaired the National Research Council`s Committee for the Assessment of NASA`s Solar Power Investment Strategy in 2001. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the International Electronics Consortia. In receiving the International Engineering Consortium`s Fellow Award, Dr. Schwartz joins some 80 communications and engineering trailblazers, including Gordon Moore, former CEO of Intel; David Packard, founder of Hewlett-Packard; Robert Galvin, former Motorola CEO; Vinton Cerf, senior vice president of MCI; Jack S. Kilby, Nobel Laureate and a pioneer in the development of the integrated circuit; and John Chambers, President and CEO of Cisco Systems. More information on the IEC Fellow Award may be obtained by calling the International Engineering Consortium at +1-312-559-4100. The International Engineering Consortium is a cooperative public-service organization dedicated to positive change in the information industry and university communities. For more than 50 years, IEC has provided educational opportunities for industry professionals, university professors and promising students. Executives from throughout the industry continue to build strong business and technical foundations for the future through knowledge gained from IEC Forums and publications.
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