Three Stanford professors were elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) on Feb. 10 for “outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education,” according to the NAE.
They are faculty members Juan G. Santiago, Terry Winograd and H.-S. Philip Wong. Being elected to the organization is one of the highest distinctions that can be awarded to an engineer who has made significant contributions to the field.
The NAE is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides advice to the U.S. government and “a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering.”
Santiago, the Charles Lee Powell Foundation Professor, researches ways to develop microsystems for biochemical analysis as well as methods for DNA quantification and hybridization. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Over the last decade, Santiago and his team have developed ways to remove salt from water to make it more drinkable and harvested lithium to support battery manufacturing.
Santiago expressed significant gratitude for his election in an email to The Daily.
“I consider this the most important honor of my career,” Santiago wrote. “On a personal level, I want to thank my lovely wife, Michelle Donovan, for all of her support and love these last three decades. On a professional level, I am deeply grateful to my former and current students and postdocs, who have been my true partners in scientific research.”
Winograd, professor emeritus of computer science, is an artificial intelligence researcher who is one of the founders of the Hasso Plattner School of Design (d.school).
Winograd wrote to The Daily that this recognition was unexpected.
“I have to admit that it came as a surprise,” he wrote. “It was something I hadn’t sought or had ambitions for, so it was pleasing as I become 80 to see my place in the larger sweep of the field of engineering.”
Winograd expressed gratitude to his students, colleagues, and family for their support.
Wong, the Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering, seeks to discover how nanoscale technology can be developed into practical uses. He also researches energy-efficient computing and industrial policy, along with teaching an introductory seminar class on semiconductor chips.
Now that Wong has been elected to this organization, he said he feels a greater sense of purpose.
“Being elected to the NAE also means I now have the additional responsibility to help carry out the NAE mission,” wrote Wong. “And I will work toward that.”
Wong gave thanks to his PhD adviser Professor Marvin White and his colleagues.
The newly elected engineers will officially be inducted at the annual NAE meeting this fall.