Technology Innovation
To recognize and encourage rising stars in the technology area, a fourth award for "technology innovation"was added to the program for the first time in 2008.
The intent of this award is to recognize exceptional industrial contributions. It is understood that nominees for this new award will come from a diverse range of technology areas (from oil production to electronics to bio-nano-info) so their accomplishments, and how to describe them, may vary widely.
The scope of this award may be thought of as a junior version of the Draper Prize administered by the National Academy of Engineering or the National Medal of Technology given at the national level.