The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022 - 26

History Spotlight
HKN Outstanding Young Professional
Award and Roger I. Wilkinson
by Steve E. Watkins, Gamma Theta Chapter and Co-Editor-in-Chief of THE BRIDGE
The Outstanding Young Professional (OYP)
award is the oldest individual recognition given
by IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN). It dates back
to 1936 as the Outstanding Young Electrical
Engineer Award (OYEE). Only the Outstanding
Chapter Award, established in 1932, is older.
It was created to promote excellence among
young electrical engineers in their technical
accomplishments and in their service to others.
The original award's judging formula was based
on 50% technical accomplishments and 50%
civic, cultural, community, and other activities.
The current OYP award program continues this
tradition with the purpose of recognizing " a
young professional for meritorious service in the
interests of humankind as evidenced by his or
her past record and future promise, as well as for
outstanding achievements in his or her chosen
profession. " To be eligible for the annual award,
a nominee must have a degree in an IEEEdesignated
field of interest and must be younger
than 35-years-old.
The OYEE award was organized by the New
York Alumni Chapter with input from notable
members, including E.B. Wheeler, one of the
10 founding members and the second HKN
President. Past HKN President Roger I. Wilkinson
was appointed as the chair of the planning
committee and the chair of the formal OYEE
Organization Committee. His efforts to create
and implement the award in those first few years
resulted in an innovative activity that raised the
status of HKN within the professional community.
From the beginning, the American Institute
of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), a predecessor
organization to IEEE, was involved. AIEE President
Edward B. Meyer was a member of the first
selection committee, and the award dinner
was held for many years at the AIEE national
convention. Wilkinson documented the award in
" An Experiment in the Recognition of Engineers, "
Transactions of the AIEE, 56(8), 945-949, 1937.
Currently, the OYP award presentation is part of
the annual awards ceremony of the IEEE
Educational Activities Board.
This award program
is a signature activity
of HKN/IEEE-HKN.
The records and
career impacts of
the recipients and
honorable mentions
demonstrate the value
of a balanced life
as presented in the
initiation ritual.
Roger I. Wilkinson, Founder of the HKN OYP/OYEE Award, is third from left in the middle row in this photo
from THE BOMB, the yearbook of Iowa State University.
CREDIT: Iowa State University Library Special Collections and University Archives
THE BRIDGE

The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022

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