The Western Society of Engineers will celebrate Engineers Week (Feb. 20-27) by honoring Nobel Laureate and Cockrell School of Engineering professor John B. Goodenough as the 103rd recipient of the Washington Award. The prestigious award is conferred upon an engineer whose professional accomplishments have preeminently advanced the welfare of humankind. Past recipients of the award include Henry Ford, Orville Wright and Neil Armstrong.

"It's an honor to be recognized with the Washington Award and to join the ranks of such distinguished recipients," Goodenough said. "I'm grateful to the Western Society of Engineers for this award as well as their dedicated support to fostering the next generation of engineers.”

After serving in World War II, Goodenough received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. At the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, he helped develop the first RAM of the digital computer and, at the University of Oxford, he developed the cathodes that have enabled the lithium-ion battery.

Since 1986, Goodenough has held the Virginia H. Cockrell Centennial Chair of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin where he has continued development of the rechargeable battery, catalytic electrodes for the solid oxide fuel cell and the use of high pressure to study the transition from localized to itinerant d electrons in transition-metal oxides. In 2019, Goodenough was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering efforts in rechargeable batteries.

"We are proud to honor Dr. Goodenough with the 2021 Washington Award for his lifelong dedication to the engineering profession and his breakthroughs in the fields of computing and energy," said Christopher B. Burke, CEO of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. Burke has served as chairman of the Chicagoland Engineers Week Steering Committee for the last 15 years. "Each year during Engineers Week, we honor those who have done great things in the field of engineering not only to celebrate their achievements, but also to inspire those young people who will follow in their footsteps."

In addition to the presentation of the Washington Award, nearly 100 pre-college students will be recognized for their success in regional STEM competitions. The engineers of metropolitan Chicago make both individual and group efforts to encourage pre-college youth to become engineers.

The Washington Award, named to honor the first president of the United States, was established in 1916 by the Western Society of Engineers. During Engineers Week, presentation of the award is made at a joint gathering of the members and guests of the Western Society of Engineers; the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers; American Society of Civil Engineers; American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers; National Society of Professional Engineers; and the American Nuclear Society.

This year's awards celebration will be held virtually on February 25. For more information visit WashingtonAward.com.