Awards

PCS Awards

We recognize professional achievements and contributions to our profession and society by presenting these annual awards:

• The Alfred N. Goldsmith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communication
• The Emily K. Schlesinger Award for Outstanding Service to the Professional Communication Society
• The Rudolph J. Joenk, Jr. Award for Best Paper in the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
• The Ronald S. Blicq Award for Distinction in Technical Communication Education
• James M. Lufkin Award for Best ProComm Paper
• Hayhoe Fellow Award

The Alfred N. Goldsmith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communication

The Alfred N. Goldsmith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communication Award has been given by IEEE PCS since 1975. Dr. Goldsmith, who held a lifetime appointment as associate professor of electrical engineering at CCNY and was the first director of research, then vice president and general manager of engineering at RCA, was one of the founders of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) in 1912. From 1912 to 1954, he was editor of the IRE Proceedings. He was a sponsor and patron of the formation of the IRE Professional Group on Engineering Writing and Speech, forerunner of PCS.

Award Criteria

Nominees for the Goldsmith Award should have received distinction in the field of engineering communication as evidenced by a significant reputation in a field associated with engineering communication as well as one or more of the following:

• Scholarly publications in the field
• Presentations on engineering communication at conferences of engineers or technical and professional communicators
• Innovations that have advanced the practice of engineering communication
• Unusual achievement as a practitioner of engineering communication

Although there is no strict requirement for length of career, candidates with less than 15 years experience in engineering communication are not likely to be selected for this honor. Current members of the BoG are not eligible for the Goldsmith Award.

Alfred N. Goldsmith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communication winners:

The Emily K. Schlesinger Award for Outstanding Service to the Professional Communication Society

In 1995, the Society added to its award program a second honor, the Emily K. Schlesinger Award for Outstanding Service to the Professional Communication Society. A member of PCS since 1964 and Senior Member of IEEE, Dr. Schlesinger was president of the Society in 1976 and 1977. During that time, she regularized publication of the PCS Transactions and, when she could find no one to edit the Newsletter, took on the job herself, producing some 80 pages annually.

On a personal trip to Europe and Great Britain, she met with professional communication people in London and Paris, thus widening the sphere of the Society to include those who communicate in English as a second language. We now have many members, and several chapters, outside the United States. She helped the PCS education committee to launch home study, conference, and workshop writing courses.

Award Criteria:

Nominees for the Schlesinger Award should have provided outstanding service to the Society as evidenced by one of the following:

• Exceptional performance in one significant Society leadership role
• Distinguished performance in a variety of roles within the Society over a period of time.

In no case should the winner of the Schlesinger Award be selected simply because he or she has completed a term as Society president, chair of a conference, or some other position.

The winner of the Schlesinger award has historically been a member of the BoG, but BoG membership is not a requirement to be selected for this honor.

Although there is no strict requirement for length of PCS service, those with less than 5 years of service are not likely to be selected for this honor.

Emily K. Schlesinger Award for Outstanding Service to the Professional Communication Society winners:

The Rudolph J. Joenk, Jr. Award for Best Paper in the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

The Rudolph J. Joenk, Jr. Award recognizes an outstanding article published in the preceding year’s IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication. The winner is selected by the PCS Editorial Advisory Committee.

The Best Paper Award was proposed at a then AdCom (now BoG) meeting in 1975 by Charles A. Meyer, then chair of the awards committee and earlier (1965-66) president of the society. In 2000, the AdCom voted to re-name the Best Paper Award for Rudolph J. Joenk, Jr., to acknowledge and honor his extraordinary contributions to the Transactions. Dr. Joenk served as editor of the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication for eight years, beginning in 1977. In his term as editor he revived the publication from a dwindling two issues in 1976 to a reliable set of quarterly issues in 1984 that are still growing in size and strength. Through his outstanding editorial work, he established high standards for a journal that is now a central information resource in the field of engineering communication.

The Rudolph J. Joenk, Jr. Award for Best Paper in the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication winners:

The Ronald S. Blicq Award for Distinction in Technical Communication Education

The Ronald S. Blicq Award for Distinction in Technical Communication Education was proposed by the then AdCom (now BoG) and approved by IEEE Awards and Recognition Committee in 2000. The Blicq Award recognizes innovative educators who have influenced the ways that technical communication is taught–in pre-college settings, in undergraduate and graduate university degree programs, and in professional life through workshops and seminars.

In naming the new award for Ron Blicq, PCS acknowledges his extraordinary impact on technical communication education at all levels. In courses offered through IEEE and PCS as well as university programs and independent workshops, he has helped engineers to improve their communication skills. Through his textbooks, videos, and workshops, he has also taught several generations of technical communication faculty to design practical and motivating communication courses for technical students. Ron Blicq has been a member of IEEE and PCS since 1958 (they were then the Institute for Radio Engineers and the Professional Group on Engineering Writing and Speech), and he has been developing and teaching courses for the IEEE and PCS since 1974.

Award Criteria:

Nominees for the Blicq Award should have achieved distinction in technical communication education as evidenced by a significant reputation as an educator in technical and professional communication as well as one or more of the following:

• Scholarly publications on technical and professional communication or technical and professional communication pedagogy
• Presentations on technical and professional communication or technical and professional communication pedagogy at conferences
• Achievements in technical and professional communication pedagogy
• Innovations in technical and professional communication curricula

Although there is no strict requirement for length of career, candidates with less than 15 years experience in technical communication education (both in colleges/universities and in industry) are not likely to be selected for this honor.

Current members of the BoG are not eligible for the Blicq Award.

The Ronald S. Blicq Award for Distinction in Technical Communication Education winners:

James M. Lufkin Award for Best IPCC Paper

The James M. Lufkin Award recognizes the best conference paper submitted to IPCC Proceedings. The winner is selected by the IPCC Conference Committee in consultation with the PCS Awards Committee.

The award was re-named for James M. Lufkin in 2008. James M. Lufkin served multiple terms on the PCS AdCom (now BoG) and multiple terms as Society President. In 1975, he received PCS’s first Alfred N. Goldsmith Award for outstanding achievement in technical communication, and he was awarded an IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000. The achievement we particularly honor in naming the best conference award for him is his core role in chairing a series of conferences (1973, 1975, 1977) on the future of scientific journals.

Hayhoe Fellow Award

The Hayhoe Fellow is given to a graduate student who has submitted a conference paper that will be presented at the annual International Professional Communication Conference. The award, named for longtime PCS member George Hayhoe, provides support to the student to defray conference attendance costs. Consideration is given to all graduate-level students who submit a paper, and the selection is based on input from the paper reviewers, the conference program committee, and the conference chair.

The Hayhoe Fellow Award was established in 2012 to acknowledge the activities of Dr. George Hayhoe, a longtime PCS member, member of the PCS Advisory Committee, and former president of PCS. Dr. Hayhoe’s contributions to the society are numerous, but his legacy is best represented in supporting the next generation of technical communicators who can benefit from the experience of the IPCC.

IEEE Third Millenium Medals

• Ron Blicq
• Roger Grice
• Rudy Joenk
• Bill Kehoe
• James Lufkin
• Herb Michaelson
• Joan Nagle
• Richie Robinson
• Stephanie Rosenbaum
• Scott Sanders
• Emily Schlesinger

In the year 2000, as part of its celebration of the Third Millennium, the IEEE awarded 3,000 IEEE Millennium Medals and certificates to individuals who were selected by IEEE Societies, Sections, and Major Boards for outstanding contributions in their respective areas of activity. The Professional Communication Society was invited to nominate recipients for 11 medals, and those medals were presented to 9 of the recipients at an awards banquet in the Boston Museum of Science, in conjunction with IPCC 2000. A 10th medal was presented to awardee Emily Schlesinger at her retirement community outside Baltimore following an AdCom meeting in Washington, DC. The 11th medal was presented to awardee James M. Lufkin in conjunction with an AdCom meeting in Minneapolis. Each recipient played a major role in the history of the Professional Communication Society.