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The IEEE Medal of Honor is the highest recognition of the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). It has been awarded since 1917, and is given to an individual for an exceptional contribution or an extraordinary career in the IEEE fields of interest. The award consists of a gold medal, a bronze replica, a certificate, and an honorarium.
The medal was created by the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) as the "IRE Medal of Honor". It became the IEEE Medal of Honor when the IRE merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) to form the IEEE, in 1963. It was decided that IRE's Medal of Honor would be presented as IEEE's highest award. Edward Field Sanford, Jr., an American sculptor, designed the medal in 1917.
The first recipient was Edwin Howard Armstrong, in 1917. 104 people have been awarded the medal, with the latest recipient being Robert E. Kahn, in 2024. Only one woman, Mildred Dresselhaus, has been awarded the medal, in 2015.