MIT Institute Professor Mildred S. Dresselhaus will receive the 2004 Founders Medal from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Past winners include the late MIT President Emeritus Jerome B. Wiesner, who received the honor in 1977; and Raymond S. Stata (S.B. 1957) who received the 2003 award. Stata is a life member of the MIT Corporation.
According to the citation accompanying Dresselhaus' Founders Medal, she is being honored "for leadership across many fields of science and engineering through research and education, and for exceptional and unique contributions to the profession." The award consists of a gold medal, bronze replica, certificate and a cash honorarium.
According to the IEEE, "the progress of a profession rests not only on the technical abilities of its members, but on the qualities of leadership and dedication which they possess. It is therefore highly appropriate that among the major awards of the IEEE there is one which brings deserved recognition to these important attributes."
Dresselhaus is the first woman to receive the Founders Medal, which was established in 1952.
