The spirit of Ralph’s words of leadership lives on through the Ralph Coats Roe Medal. The prestigious American Society of Mechanical Engineers award recognizes outstanding contributions toward a better public understanding of the engineer’s worth to contemporary society.

Starting this past June, the award presentation was given a premiere venue as the Roe Lecture and Luncheon at the newly formatted Annual Meeting of the ASME. The purpose of the Ralph Coats Roe Medal dovetails well with the focus of the Annual Meeting providing an ideal location worthy of one of the most coveted Society Awards. The lecture was previously held at the Annual Congress which afforded a limited schedule and audience.

“This is an ideal venue worthy of the individuals who are being honored,” stated Warren R. Leonard, Executive Director of the ASME Foundation. “Not only does this ensure prominence of lecture, it also provides a much needed jump start for the new Annual Meeting.”

Welcoming the attendees to this year’s event, Keith Roe noted, “Ralph Roe had a special regard for the ASME and its role in the industry. He started an ASME tradition in the family which continues to this day. It was ably carried on by my father, Ken Roe, who established the medal in 1972.”

The 2008 Ralph Coats Roe Medal was presented to Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., the President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her research and policy focus includes global energy security and national capacity for innovation, including addressing the “Quiet Crisis” in the U. S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and workforce development.

In the tradition of Ralph Coats Roe, Dr. Jackson joins an elite group of individuals that includes former Chrysler Chairman, Lee Iacocca; noted Astronomer, Carl Sagan; celebrated inventor, Dean Kamen; and U.S. Congressman, Vernon Ehlers.

“On behalf of myself, and of the generations of engineers educated at the institution I am privileged to lead, I thank you for the opportunity to deliver this lecture named for one of the foremost engineers of the 20th century, and for bestowing upon me the award which bears his name.” remarked Dr. Jackson upon receiving the Ralph Coats Roe Medal.

“Pioneers like Ralph Coats Roe made innovations which helped invent a global energy system which worked, and which propelled the United States to unprecedented heights of prosperity,” continued Dr. Jackson. “Now, we must use his same qualities of leadership and innovation to meet challenges our predecessors did not contemplate, and to carry the world forward to a secure and sustainable future.”

Dr. Jackson is a regent of the Smithsonian Institution. She is a Director of IBM, FedEx, Marathon Oil, Medtronic and PSEG. Dr. Jackson served as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995 to 1999. She holds a B.S. and a Ph.D. from M.I.T., and 43 honorary degrees.