1988 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Medal of Honor. Awarded to Calvin F. Quate for Outstanding Scientific and Engineering Achievement. Struck in 14KT Gold by Medallic Art Company, Danbury, Connecticut, and marked as such on the edge. Choice Mint State. 63 mm, 7 mm thick at the rim. 169.9 grams. A beautiful medal of substantial size with uniform light yellow gold surfaces. Satiny throughout with a fine brushed finish, clearly as made. Apparently struck on a cast flan with a couple of related imperfections visible under magnification, but there is virtually no evidence of handling.The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, is "the worlds largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology," per their website, whose "roots go back to 1884 when electricity became a major influence in society," per the same source. The first professional organization in this field was founded in New York, in 1884, as the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. Wireless technology became a new industry in the 1890s, and in 1912 a new organization was formed for this field, the Institute of Radio Engineers, in 1912. In January 1963, these two organizations merged to form the IEEE, which is now a global institution.The IEEE Medal of Honor was established in 1917, and is the highest award given by the organization in recognition of particularly "exceptional contribution(s) or an extraordinary career in the IEEE fields of interest." This award to Calvin Quate of Stanford University, was presented "For the invention and development of the scanning acoustic microscope."
