It’s time to brag a little as the IEEE put out a press release today about the two winners of of their 2008 Distinguished Journalistic Contributions awards for furthering the engineering profession. I’m proud to say yours truly is one of them. Unfortunately, I did not make it to Salt Lake City for the IEEE’s annual meeting where the awards were presented. Anyhow, I won it for my coverage and conceptualization of Design News’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner coverage.

In total, Design News where I was editor-in-chief won four awards for that coverage for which I was the architect and often the author. Now if only the damn plane would fly!?

My deepest thanks go to Dean Geoffrey Orsak who heads SMU’s  Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering. He sponsored my award application and had the brilliant idea that I take a shot  at it. He sent me the press release which I ran in its entirety below (Unfortunately, I cannot locate the link.) MSNBC.com science editor Alan Boyle also won the award for 2008.

I am very proud of this award because electrical engineers as a rule are a very hard crowd to please – especially if you are a journalist.

> From: p.mccarter@ieee.org > Date: March 17, 2009 5:18:56 PM CDT

> To: Multiple recipients

> Subject: IEEE-USA Awards $3,000 in Honoraria to Journalists Who Have Increased Engineering Awareness

IEEE-USA IN ACTION: $3,000 IN HONORARIA PRESENTED TO TWO JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE ADDED TO PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF ENGINEERING

For the first time, IEEE-USA has awarded two $1,500 honoraria to recognize print and electronic journalists who have added to a greater public understanding of the contributions of engineering and computer professionals to society.

The two award winners were recognized by 2008 IEEE-USA President Russell Lefevre at the organization’s annual meeting in Salt Lake City on 28 February: Alan Boyle, science editor of MSNBC.com, for his series of articles on future engineering challenges; and John Dodge, editor-in-chief of DESIGN NEWS, for his series of articles on key new technologies in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Past award recipients have included NPR’s Richard Harris (1991); the CHICAGO TRIBUNE’s Jon Van (1993); THE WALL STREET JOURNAL’s G. Pascal Zachary (1998); and Jon Katz, for his book, “Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho” (2000).

To see articles written by the 2008 IEEE-USA journalism award winners, go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16545946; andhttp://www.designnews.com/blog/Design_engineering_at_large/205-Boeing_s_787_Dreamliner_aims_to_improve_flying.php > > CONTACT: Pender M. McCarter, APR, Fellow PRSA, Senior Public Relations Counselor, +1 202 530 8353, p.mccarter@ieee.org