Discover Awards Recognize Technological Innovation
NEW YORK — September 7, 1993 — A telescope that can see the beginnings of time, a tire that won't go flat, a clean way to generate electricity and an airplane that ignores turbulence are among the seven winners of the 1993 Discover Awards for Technological Innovation.
Discover Magazine Awards have been termed the "Academy Awards" of technology and innovation by CBS correspondent Mike Wallace — "only they have far greater impact on our lives." The winners and finalists, chosen from 4,000 nominees, are profiled in Discover Magazine's special October issue on sale Sept. 21.
"We had an overwhelming response to our call for entries, and received hundreds of very exciting nominations. This year's winners form an especially imaginative group. We are especially proud to have Vice president Al Gore, a two-time award judge, introduce this special section with an essay exploring the link between technology and economic growth," remarked Editor-in-Chief Paul Hoffman.
According to the vice president, the Discover awards honor "some of the most exciting and innovative technologies developed by the world's move inventive minds."
The winners, by category, are:
AUTOMOTIVE
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
— Randy Brayer, team leader at Goodyear in Akron, Ohio, for developing the Goodyear Eagle Extended Mobility Tire (GS-C EMT). Goodyear says good-bye to flat tires. Unlike a conventional tire, which needs air pressure to run smoothly, the EMT employs technology that enables the tire to run without air. The tire, designed to fit on conventional wheels, is affordable and may well become a standard in the automotive industry. Even with a huge chunk ripped from the tread, the EMT can safely run up to 200 miles at 55 mph; that's long enough to get you to the nearest service station.
AVIATION & AEROSPACE
Freewing Aircraft Corporation
— Hugh Schmittle, president and CEO of Freewing in College Park, Md., for developing, in conjunction with the University of Maryland at College Park, a practical "freewing" aircraft which takes the torture out of air turbulence. In flight, the hinged wings move with the wind to absorb gusts from any direction, while on takeoffs and landings, they lock into position like standard "fixed" wings. The result is a plane that resists stalling, a leading contributor to air accidents.
COMPUTER HARDWARE & ELECTRONICS
EO Inc.
— Celeste Baranski, vice president of hardware engineering, and Alain Rossmann, president of EO Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., for developing the EO Personal Communicator. This office-on-the-move combines the power of a cellular phone, a fax machine, and a pen-input personal computer with a rechargeable 3-4 hour battery, allowing documents to be sent from the back of taxis, hotel rooms or wherever you may be. The best part of this sleek hand-held instrument is that it weighs only 2.3 lbs., measures 11" x 7", and is less than 1" thick.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Globalink, Inc.
— Bedrich Chaloupka, vice president of Globalink in Fairfax, Va., for developing Globalink Translation Software. After 30 years of trying, there is finally a practical computer software package that can translate English into foreign languages. This desktop program for PCs will translate Spanish, French, German or Russian into English, or vice versa — quickly and accurately. It's sophisticated enough to pick up the individual nuances and grammatical rules of each language without requiring a main-frame computer.
ENVIRONMENT
U.S. Windpower, Inc./Electric Power Research Institute
— Dale Osborn, president of U.S. Windpower in Oakland, Calif., and Edgar Demeo, manager-solar power, at the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., for the development of the Variable Speed Wind Turbine (33M-VS). This new wind turbine brings us another step closer to making renewable non-polluting and inexpensive electric power available to everyone. The variable speed turbine can adjust to changes in wind velocity and frequency to maintain an even electric current at all times. It makes wind generated electric power competitive with traditional fossil-fuel technologies.
SIGHT
W.M. Keck Observatory
— Dr. Jerry E. Nelson, a project scientist at the Keck Observatory in Kamuela, Hawaii, for innovations in the design of the Keck Telescope. The Keck Telescope is the largest optical and infrared telescope in the world. Its innovative, segmented mirror design — kept in place by sensors that correct any displacement within .2 millionths of an inch — enables it to see further and more accurately than any telescope in history. The telescope will double the viewing range of astronomers. In fact, after only a few months of operation, it has already viewed a section of the universe 13 billion light years away!
SOUND
Philips Hearing Instruments
— Henri Garcia, international marketing manager at Philips Eindhoven, The Netherlands, for the development of the XP Peritympanic hearing aid. This device is just what the hearing impaired have been waiting for — a powerful, "invisible" hearing aid. The XP is the first customized, deep canal hearing instrument. Without surgery, it's implanted deep into the ear canal where it can't be seen. It has superior ability to transmit sound while blocking out the usual distortions associated with hearing aids.
Discover is the monthly magazine of science and technology, their wonders, uses, and impact. With a readership of more than 5 million, Discover offers a wide audience of curious and intelligent adults a lively and literate look at science's quest to understand ourselves and our universe.
Nominations were from companies and research institutions from around the world as well as from Discover readers and the public-at- large. Finalists were selected by the editors of Discover, the monthly magazine of science and technology. Winners were chosen by an outside panel of experts in each of the seven categories.
The panels:
AUTOMOTIVE
— Patrick Bedard — Editor at large/columnist, Car and Driver magazine; former race car driver.
— David E. Davis, Jr. — Editor, Automobile magazine.
— Janet Guthrie — First woman to race in the Indianapolis 500; former aerospace engineer.
— James R. Healey — Automotive editor, USA Today.
— Maryann Keller — President, Society of Automotive Analysts.
— Shirley Muldowney — Drag racer; three-time National Hot Rod Association world champion.
— Danny Sullivan — Race car driver; 1985 winner of the Indianapolis 500.
AVIATION & AEROSPACE
— Buzz Aldrin — Gemini and Apollo astronaut; walked on the moon during the first lunar landing.
— Scott Carpenter — Mercury mission astronaut; U.S. Navy SeaLab II aquanaut/team commander.
— Mae Jemison — First black female astronaut; space shuttle mission specialist.
— Walter "Wally" Schirra — One of NASA's original seven astronauts; flew Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft.
— Deke Slayton — One of NASA's original seven astronauts; flew on the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission; now director of Space Services, a division of EER Systems.
COMPUTER & HARDWARE ELECTRONICS
— Dennis Allen — Editor-in-chief, Byte magazine.
— Hans Fantel — The New York Times consumer electronics columnist; founding editor of Stereo Review.
— David Horowitz — Host, creator, and executive producer of the award-winning "Fight Back with David Horowitz," a consumer awareness television program in its 17th season.
— Penn and Teller — Masters of magic; debunkers of New Age pseudoscience; computer gear experts (Penn is a columnist for PC Computing magazine).
— Gary Shapiro — Group vice president, Electronic Industries Association's Consumer Electronics Group.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
— Stewart Cheifet — Host/executive producer of the national PBS series "The Computer Chronicles."
— John C. Dvorak — Nationally syndicated computer columnist for PC Magazine and MacUser.
— Esther Dyson — Editor, RELEASE 1.0, a computer industry monthly; president, EDventure Holdings, Inc.; Forbes contributing editor.
— Michael Miller — Editor-in-chief, PC Magazine.
— Marvin Minsky — MIT professor of computer science; pioneer of artificial intelligence.
ENVIRONMENT
— Kathryn Fuller — President and chief executive officer, World Wildlife Fund; member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Overseas Development Council and the U.S. Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
— Jay D. Hair — President, National Wildlife Federation.
— Denis Hayes — Chairman of the board, Green Seal; organizer, Earth Day 1970 and Earth Day 1990; president of the Bullitt Foundation, a Seattle-based environment group; environmental columnist for USA Weekend.
— Fred Krupp — Executive director, the Environmental Defense Fund.
— Thomas Lovejoy — Assistant secretary for external affairs, the Smithsonian Institution.
SIGHT
— Harry Benson — award-winning photojournalist.
— Cornell Capa — photographer, author, and editor; founding director, the International Center of Photography.
— David Friend — Director of photography, Life magazine.
— Jim Hartz — Host of the PBS science and technology series "Innovation."
— Marvin Kitman — Television critic; humorist; syndicated columnist for Newsday and the Los Angeles Times syndicate.
— Gene Siskel — Nationally syndicated film critic; co-host of the "Siskel & Ebert" syndicated television show.
SOUND
— Louise Boundas — Editor, Stereo Review magazine.
— Ray Charles — Jazz and blues singer, musician, and composer; recipient of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award.
— Eugene Pitts III — Editor, Audio magazine.
— Phoebe Snow — Folk guitarist and vocalist.
— Timothy White — Editor-in-chief, Billboard magazine, host of the nationally syndicated radio show "The Timothy White Sessions"; award-winning music journalist.
CONTACT:
Sally Fischer PR, 212-246-2977; Randle Levine-Miller (for interviews with Paul Hoffman), 212-362-3616;
or
David Fishman of Discover, 212-633-4805