PNNL's Posakony honored with AAES 2009 John Fritz Medal

Jerry Posakony, scientist at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been honored by the American Association of Engineering Societies for his pioneering contributions to the fields of ultrasonics, medical diagnostic ultrasound and nondestructive evaluation technologies.

AAES has awarded the John Fritz Medal annually since 1902 as a memorial to the engineer and 15th president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers who bears its name.

Posakony has devoted much of his career to developing important technologies that have touched nearly everyone's life, from medical diagnostics to industrial applications that help ensure product quality and safety.

His career in ultrasonics dates back to the early 1950's when he began ultrasonic diagnostic imaging research. Today breakthroughs he made allow physicians to see an image of the internal structure of the human body, which was a major step forward in medical diagnosis.

He devoted nearly 60 years of his career to designing, developing and deploying first-of-a-kind nondestructive evaluation inspection and measurement systems, in particular ultrasonic transducers and the associated circuits and systems. Posakony was also involved in developing industry standards for that type of instrumentation.

Most recently, Posakony's research and consulting efforts are in the field of sonochemistry and sonoluminescense, the emission of short bursts of light from imploding bubbles in a liquid when excited by sound.

He holds 15 patents and has contributed to more than 65 technical publications. Posakony was named an Honorary Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2009. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Posakony will be honored at an April 19 AAES awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Provided by DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory