CT Academy for Science & Engineering Elects 36 New Members from Academia, Industry; Nominations for Prestigious 2020 Medal of Technology Due March 12

In 2020, the Connecticut Medal of Technology, Connecticut's highest honor for technological achievement in fields crucial to Connecticut's economic competitiveness, will be awarded by the Connecticut Academy for Science & Engineering (CASE). Nominations are being accepted through March 12.

CASE was chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1976 to provide expert guidance on science and technology to the people and to the state of Connecticut, and to promote the application of science and technology to human welfare and economic well-being

The Connecticut Medal of Technology is awarded every other year to individuals, teams, and companies/non-profits or divisions of companies/non-profits for their outstanding contributions to the economic, environmental and social well-being of Connecticut and the nation through the promotion of technology, technological innovation, or the development of the technological workforce. Only one medal is awarded; in alternating years, the Connecticut Medal of Science is presented.

By highlighting the importance of technological innovation, the Medal of Technology seeks to inspire future generations to prepare for and pursue technical careers to keep Connecticut and the nation at the forefront of global technology and economic leadership, according to CASE officials.

There are 10 previous Connecticut Medal of Technology recipients: H. Joseph Gerber, Charles H. Kaman, Anthony J. DeMaria, Gene Banucci, Tso-Ping Ma, Jonathan M. Rothberg, Yaakov Bar-Shalom, Frederick J. Leonberger, Cato T. Laurencin, and Pratt & Whitney. There has yet to be a woman selected to receive the Connecticut Medal of Technology.

Two years ago, Pratt & Whitney was selected as recipient of the Medal, the first team to earn that distinction after qualifying criteria were broadened to consider teams as well as individuals. The new criteria continues in effect for this year’s selection process. Nominations for the Connecticut Medal of Technology can be made for an individual, a team, or a company/non-profit or a division of a company/non-profit.

More information on the nominating process and detailed criteria is available here. Nominations must be submitted electronically by 4 PM on March 12, 2020. Required nomination materials should be submitted to Terri Clark, Executive Director, Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, at tclark@ctcase.org. The nomination form is available here.

The 2020 Medal of Technology will be presented on May 26, 2020 at the 45th Annual Meeting and Dinner of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, to be held on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Profiles of all Medal recipients are featured at the Connecticut Science Center.

That same evening, 36 new members of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering will be formally introduced. Election to CASE is on the basis of scientific and engineering distinction achieved through significant contributions in theory or applications, as demonstrated by original published books and papers, patents, the pioneering of new and developing fields and innovative products, outstanding leadership of nationally recognized technical teams, and external professional awards in recognition of scientific and engineering excellence.

In recent years, an increasing number of newly elected members have made their contribution to the disciplines of science and engineering in industry, joining distinguished members of academia elected to the Academy. Among this year’s class are individuals at Pratt & Whitney, Electric Boat, Turnstone Biologics, Inc., United Technologies, Sikorsky Aircraft and Bridgewater Associates.

Former astronaut Daniel Burbank, now with Collins Aerospace, is also among the newly elected members, as is Thomas C. Katsouleas, installed last year as President of the University of Connecticut.

The 36 individuals selected to be members of CASE are:

Ron Adelman, Prof. of Ophthalmology & Visual Science; Director of the Retina & Macula Service, Yale School of Medicine
Nita Ahuja, William H. Carmalt Prof. of Surgery; Chair, Dpt. of Surgery; Surgeon-in-Chief; Assistant Cancer Center Director for Surgery, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
Jinbo Bi, Prof., Computer Science & Engineering, School of Engineering, UCONN
Georgios M. Bollas, Prof., Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering, UCONN
Nancy J. Brown, Dean, Yale School of Medicine
Daniel C. Burbank, Senior Technical Fellow Discipline Lead – Systems Engineering, Collins Aerospace
Daniel D. Burkey, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education, Outreach, and Diversity, School of Engineering, UCONN
Yang Cao, Prof. & Director, Electrical Insulation Research Center, Electrical & Computer Engineering & Institute of Materials Science, School of Engineering, UCONN
Igor Cherepinsky, Director, Autonomy Programs, Engineering & Technology, Rotary Mission Systems, Sikorsky Aircraft
Elizabeth Claus, Prof., Biostatistics; Director, Medical Research, Yale School of Public Health
Tanimu P. Deleon, Technical Lead: Human Factors Engineering & CONFORM: Warfighter Performance, Electric Boat Corporation
Heidi M. Dierssen, Prof. of Marine Sciences, UCONN
Gregory A. Duba, Staff Engineer – System Modeling, Simulation & Analysis, Electric Boat Corporatio
Erika J. Edwards, Prof. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Dpt. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University
David A. Ferrucci, Founder, CEO & Chief Scientist, Elemental Cognition; Director of Artificial Intelligence, Bridgewater Associates
Nilay Hazari, Prof. of Chemistry, Chemistry Dpt., Yale University
Thomas C. Katsouleas, President, UCONN
Yehia F. Khalil, Associate Director, Research, Physical Sciences Dpt., United Technologies Research Center
Albert I. Ko, Professor & Chair, Dpt. of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health
Ramesh B. Malla, Prof., Dpt. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Institute of Materials Science, UCONN
Ruth R. Montgomery, Professor of Medicine; Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs, Yale School of Medicine
Rachel J. O’Neill, Professor & Director, UCONN Institute for Systems Genomics, Institute of Systems Genomics, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN
José Manuel Otero, Senior Vice President, Technical Operations & Executive Team Member, Turnstone Biologics, Inc.
Ugur Pasaogullari, Prof. & Director, Cntr. for Clean Energy Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, UCONN
Peter N. Peduzzi, Prof. of Biostatistics, Director Yale Center for Analytical Sciences, Yale School of Public Health
Rafael Perez-Escamilla, Prof. of Epidemiology & Public Health; Director, Office of Public Health Practice; Director, Global Health Concentration, Yale School of Public Health
David M. Post, Prof., Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University
Andreas E. Roelofs, Vice President of Research, United Technologies Corporation; Director, United Technologies Research Center
Nenad Sestan, Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Neuroscience, & Professor of Comparative Medicine, of Genetics and of Psychiatry; Executive Director, Genome Editing Center, Yale School of Medicine
Linda H. Shapiro, Professor, Cell Biology, UCONN School of Medicine
John P. Shegirian, Staff Engineer, Integrated Power Systems, Electric Boat Corporation
Scot A. Slimon, Staff Engineer, Fluid Mechanics, Electric Boat Corporation
Megan V. Smith, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and in the Child Study Center; Director, Mental Health Outreach for Mothers Partnership; Director, Yale Child Study Center Parent & Family Development Program, Yale School of Medicine
Nagendra Somanath, Principle Engineer, Advanced Tech. & Preliminary Design, Advanced Concepts & Tech., Pratt & Whitney
Christian Tschudi, John Rodman Paul Professor of Epidemiology, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health
Paul E. Turner, Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University