Presented by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) during its 25th annual awards ceremony and banquet on May 3, the John Fritz Medal is referred to as the highest award in the engineering profession and is presented each year for scientific or industrial achievement in any field of pure or applied science.
"The Fritz Medal is a much-deserved recognition for everything John has accomplished in the field of engineering," said Jim Cashman, president and CEO at ANSYS. "On behalf of ANSYS and its employees, I'd like to extend a warm congratulations to him."
Dr. Swanson joins the ranks with past medal recipients that include Alexander Graham Bell, George Westinghouse, Orville Wright and many others dedicated to science. Early in his career, Dr. Swanson developed a series of special purpose simulation codes and foresaw the need for an integrated, general-purpose finite element software code to do complex engineering calculations. In turn, he founded Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. in 1970 to develop, support and market the ANSYS simulation software program.
"It is an honor to be recognized by the AAES for my lifelong work in the engineering profession," said Dr. Swanson. "Much of my career involved starting and running Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (now ANSYS, Inc.), and developing the ANSYS software based on the needs of top engineers in many industries worldwide. The combination of advancing computer technologies, improvements in mathematical algorithms, and more demanding engineering needs made this an exciting time in the evolution of engineering simulation."
Established in 1902, the John Fritz Medal is a memorial to the engineer whose name it bears. To be eligible for the medal, potential candidates are nominated based upon scientific contributions and career accomplishments. To learn more about the medal, visit http://www.aaes.org/ for more information.
"The Fritz Medal signifies innovation in engineering, and Dr. Swanson is indeed an innovator," said John A. Parker, AAES chair. "He [Dr. Swanson] has contributed greatly to the engineering profession with his software code that ultimately changes the way companies develop products."
About the American Association of Engineering Societies
The American Association of Engineering Societies is a federation of engineering societies dedicated to advancing the knowledge, understanding and practice of engineering. AAES's membership represents more than one million engineers in the United States. For more information, go to http://www.aaes.org/ .
About Dr. John Swanson
Dr. John A. Swanson is the founder of ANSYS, the global innovator of simulation software and technologies designed to optimize product development processes. Dr. Swanson founded Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. [ANSYS, Inc.] in 1970 to develop, support and market the ANSYS simulation software program, growing it to the successful, multi-solution organization it is today. Prior to ANSYS, Inc., Dr. Swanson was employed at Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory as manager of the stress analysis group. There he developed a series of special purpose simulation codes and foresaw the need for an integrated general-purpose finite element software code to do complex engineering calculations.
Dr. Swanson holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics from the University of Pittsburgh and B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. Dr. Swanson also maintains numerous industry, national and local accreditations and awards including the recognition as an Honorary Member, a Fellow Member and Pittsburgh Engineer-of-the-Year by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He was named as the Entrepreneur-of-the-Year in High Technology by the Entrepreneurial Services Group of Arthur Young and Venture magazine. Dr. Swanson also has been inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Swanson is semi-retired, lives in Florida, and still provides consulting services and training in the field of engineering simulation.
About ANSYS, Inc.
ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970, develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies widely used by engineers and designers across a broad spectrum of industries. The Company focuses on the development of open and flexible solutions that enable users to analyze designs directly on the desktop, providing a common platform for fast, efficient and cost- conscious product development, from design concept to final-stage testing and validation. Headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., with more than 25 strategic sales locations throughout the world, ANSYS, Inc. employs approximately 550 people and distributes its products through a network of channel partners in 40 countries. Visit http://www.ansys.com/ for more information.
ANSYS, ANSYS DesignSpace, CFX, DesignModeler, DesignXplorer, ANSYS Workbench Environment, AI*Environment, CADOE and any and all ANSYS, Inc. product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of subsidiaries of ANSYS, Inc. located in the United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark licensed by ANSYS, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
ANSYS, Inc.
© 2004 PR Newswire