The Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize is an American national and international award established by the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in October 1999 in Athens. Named after Fritz Russ, the founder of Systems Research Laboratories, and his wife Dolores Russ, it recognizes a bioengineering achievement that "has had a significant impact on society and has contributed to the advancement of the human condition through widespread use". The award was instigated at the request of Ohio University to honor Fritz Russ, one of its alumni.[1]

Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize
Gold medal with the heads of a man and a woman
A gold medal depicting Fritz and Dolores Russ
Awarded forBioengineering
DateOctober 1999
LocationOhio
CountryUnited States
Presented byUnited States National Academy of Engineering
Reward(s)US$500,000[1]
First awarded2001
Last awarded2019
Currently held byJulio Cesar Palmaz
Leonard Pinchuk
Richard A. Schatz
John B. Simpson
Paul G. Yock
WebsiteOfficial website

The first Russ Prize was awarded in 2001 to Earl E. Bakken and Wilson Greatbatch. The prize is awarded biennially in odd years. From 2003 to 2011, there was a single winner per award. Multiple winners were recognized starting in 2013. The first non-Americans to receive the Russ Prize were three of the five co-winners honored in 2015.

Only living persons may receive the prize, and recipients of the Charles Stark Draper Prize are not also eligible for the Russ Prize.[2] Members of the NAE and non-members worldwide are able to receive the award.[1][3]

The winners are announced during National Engineers Week in February. They receive US$500,000, a gold medallion and a hand-scribed certificate.[1] The Russ Prize, the Gordon Prize and the Draper Prize, all awarded by the NAE, are known collectively as the "Nobel Prizes of Engineering".[4][5][6][7]

Recipients

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Earl E. Bakken was one of the first persons, along with Wilson Greatbatch, who received the Russ Prize.
Year Recipient(s) Nationality Reason Reference
2001 Earl E. Bakken and Wilson Greatbatch US "for their independent development of the implantable cardiac pacemaker" [8]
2003 Willem Johan Kolff US "for his pioneering work on artificial organs, beginning with the artificial kidney, thus launching a new field that is benefiting the lives of millions" [8]
2005 Leland Clark US "for bioengineering membrane-based sensors in medical, food, and environmental applications" [8]
2007 Yuan-Cheng Fung US "for the characterization and modeling of human tissue mechanics and function leading to prevention and mitigation of trauma" [8]
2009 Elmer L. Gaden US "for pioneering the engineering and commercialization of biological systems for large-scale manufacturing of antibiotics and other drugs" [8]
2011 Leroy E. Hood US "for automating DNA sequencing that revolutionized biomedicine and forensic science" [8]
2013 Samuel E. Blum, Rangaswamy Srinivasan and James J. Wynne US "for the development of laser ablative decomposition, enabling LASIK and PRK eye surgery" [8]
2015 Graeme Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair, Michael M. Merzenich, and Blake S. Wilson Australia, Austria, Austria, US, US "for engineering cochlear implants that enable the deaf to hear" [8]
2017 James G. Fujimoto, Adolf F. Fercher, Christoph K. Hitzenberger, David Huang, and Eric A. Swanson US, Austria, Austria, US, US "for optical coherence tomography, leveraging creative engineering to invent imaging technology essential for preventing blindness and treating vascular and other diseases" [8]
2019 Julio Palmaz, Leonard Pinchuk, Richard A. Schatz, John Simpson, and Paul G. Yock US "For innovations in medical devices that enable minimally invasive angioplasty treatment of advanced coronary artery disease" [8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize". NAE. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  2. ^ "History of the Russes and the Russ Prize". NAE. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  3. ^ "Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize Nomination Procedures". NAE. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  4. ^ "GPS, dialysis inventors win top awards". Chicago Tribune. 2003-02-19. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  5. ^ Laura A. Bischoff (2001-01-31). "First Russ Prize to be Awarded". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  6. ^ Rex Graham (2007-01-11). "Y.C. Fung Wins Russ Prize". Medical News Today. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  7. ^ "Leroy Hood wins 2011 Russ Prize". Ohio University. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Previous Recipients of the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize". NAE. Retrieved 2015-03-02.