To recognize entrepreneurship or leadership in the frequency control community; or outstanding contributions in the development, production, or characterization of resonator materials or structure.
Award/Recognition Menu
$1,000, and Plaque or physical tribute. In the event of multiple recipients, the honorarium shall be shared equally. Only One Allowable Recipient Selected Annually. Recipient receives full prize including honoraria, and, if applicable, plaque and/or certificate.
Funded by the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society. The UFFC-S budget includes the amount for this award and the budget is net positive with the inclusion of the award.
At the Frequency Control Symposium, held usually in the spring of each year.
Established in 1996
The significance of contributions of nominees shall be measured in part by: the degree of initiative, ingenuity, and creativity displayed; the quality of the work and degree of success attained; and the overall importance of the work and its impact on frequency control and associated communities.
Anyone working within the field of the Sawyer Award as given in the award description may be nominated. The award will be given to one or more specific individuals rather than to laboratories or groups. The time span over which the contributions have occurred is not limited. No posthumous awards will be made. No restriction of age, committee membership or Society membership will apply. Eligibility and Selection process shall comply with procedures and regulation established in IEEE and Society/Council governing documents, particularly with IEEE Policy 4.4 on Awards Limitations". Previous award winners are not eligible for substantially the same achievements (per IEEE Policies 4.4: An individual shall receive only one award for a given achievement unless the significance merits a higher award, which may be given in the following year or thereafter.)
An Awards Chair to oversee the nominating process is appointed by the Vice President for Frequency Control. The Awards Committee has the responsibility to solicit nominations and to make every effort to assure a high-quality slate of nominees. Nominations will be solicited via website announcement and email. Nominations are welcome from anyone and should be submitted to the Awards Chairman (see the current Call-For-Papers for contact information). All submissions should be submitted in electronic form only as described in the Society's website – Sawyer Memorial Award section.
Each nomination must include the following:
• Name of the nominee
• Current address (regular or e-mail) of the nominee
• Name of the award for which nominated
• Description of accomplishments and objective evidence (e.g. publications list, patents, awards, etc).
• Proposed citation
A Nominations Template will be provided each year by the Frequency Control Symposium website to promote uniformity for nomination submissions. The nomination should not exceed two pages in length as prescribed by the template. Endorsement letters are not mandatory but can be provided up to 3 per candidate, as a part of the nomination package which is provided by the nominator. All supporting documentation will be made available to the Frequency Control Symposium Technical Program Committee. Nominations should comply with IEEE Policies and restrictions on awards. Incidents of misconduct including, but not limited to, violations of IEEE's publication policies, will be strongly considered by the awards committee and may be grounds for denial of an award or leadership position.
2025
For the development and characterization of low-noise, high-Q resonators and sensors, and their application to testing fundamental physics.
2024
For pioneering breakthroughs in MEMS resonators fabricated in commercial CMOS chips, and service to the frequency control community.
2023
For entrepreneurial and technical leadership in the field of MEMS-based timing references, and for extensive service to the Frequency Control community.
2022
For selfless and sustained leadership in the frequency control community
2021
For contributing to the improvement of SAW resonator structures and the methods to simulate their behavior and operation.
2020
For pioneering contributions to the development of SAW and micro-acoustic devices, including the prediction of Surface Transverse Waves (STM), the theory of the “leaky” SAW in periodic structures (i.e., the “Plessky equation”), and the invention of XBARs.
2018
For a career of continued excellence providing the time and frequency community with state of the art electronics having ever lower noise figures and increased performance.
2017
For decades of entrepreneurial leadership in the frequency control industry
2016
For his outstanding contribution to understand growth mechanisms of piezoelectric thin films and materials, the development of innovative structures for acoustic-wave-based resonators and transducers, and the promotion of their use for effective time-and-frequency applications.
2015
Co-founding Discera, Inc., and pioneering the development and commercialization of MEMS oscillators.
2014
For the development of PC software now allowing nonlinear noise analysis of RF circuit and the founding of Synergy Microwave, including the design and manufacture of ultra-low noise sources, RF components and subsystems exhibiting state-of-the-art performance.
2013
For his outstanding leadership and entrepreneurship in the founding of OEwaves, and for his many contributions to the frequency control community.
2012
For research and development of high quality crystal growth of emerging LGT and similar materials for the frequency control community, and establishment of a company for production of these materials.
2011
For the development and successful commercialization of surface acoustic wave driven microfluidic systems.
2010
For the development of high-Q, miniature FBAR resonators that are producible in large quantities, and of which billions have been produced.
2009
For his long-term commitment to development and applications of precision time transfer equipment.
2008
For the development and successful commercialization of microwave signal sources exhibiting spectral purity that significantly advances the state-of-the-art.
2007
For the founding and technical management of companies resulting in the commercialization of sensors based on his inventions of double-ended quartz tuning-fork, and high-stability resonators and sensors based on his understanding of stress effects in quartz.
2006
For seminal contributions to the science and technology of quartz and piezoresonator devices, and for leadership in the frequency control and timing community extending over many years
2005
For outstanding technical contributions and leadership in the commercialization of highly precise timing standards and instrumentation.
2004
For outstanding contributions to the development of wide-scale commercial gas cell rubidium frequency standards, and for contributions to the understanding of the processes and control of variations in manufacturing these standards.
2003
For outstanding contributions and leadership in the development of Gallium Orthophosphate crystals for sensor and frequency control applications.
2002
For exceptional leadership and technical contributions in the successful development of commercial atomic frequency standards and other time and frequency products.
2001
For outstanding entrepreneurship in leading Morion Inc. to a world class company and for many years of dedication to the quartz crystal industry.
2000
For pioneering the development of the langasite family of single crystal piezoelectric materials.
1999
For contributions and leadership in the development and commercialization of micro-machined quartz crystal devices.
1998
For leadership in supporting and encouraging the development of frequency and time standards technology.
1997
For the evolution of a curiosity about quartz resonators into the low noise, low drift rate Sulzer oscillator design that was the foundation for Sulzer Laboratories, Inc.
1996
For leadership in the manufacture and design of precision AT, BT and SC-cut quartz resonators and oscillators.
1995
For outstanding contributions to international standardization, and 30 years of leadership on the IEC Technical Committee No. 49, Piezoelectric and Dielectric Devices for Frequency Control and Selection.
1994
For technical and industrial contributions to the design and fabrication of quartz crystal resonators.
1993
For leadership in the development and manufacture of quartz resonator measurement equipment used throughout the industry.
1992
For that rare combination of scientific and entrepreneurial par excellence dedicated to the frequency control industry.
1991
For significant contributions in further understanding alpha quartz as regards to sweeping, etch channels, irradiation, and developing high yields in photolithographic processing.
1990
For technical and industrial leadership in the development and manufacture of quartz crystals, filters, and oscillators.
1988
For contributions to the development of unique devices and manufacturing technology.
1987
In recognition of outstanding contributions in engineering, technology development and management relating to quartz crystals and devices.
1986
For his contributions toward the characterization of cultured quartz using infrared absorption, electron spin resonance, acoustic loss, and thermoluminescence measurements.
1985
For his contributions to the theory and design of piezoelectric quartz devices.
1984
For their fundamental experimental studies of the physical properties of crystalline quartz under extreme pressures and rates of loading leading to applications including a high pressure quartz stress gauge with nanosecond time resolution.
1983
For technical contributions and leadership in the fields of quartz resonator research, technology and measurement, and high precision frequency control.
1981
Gerber: For pioneering research in VHF and UHF precision oscillators and filter crystals and international leadership in the field of frequency control. Sykes: For outstanding contributions in the development and application of quartz crystals in the frequency control industry.
1980
For contributions to the theory of vibrations in quartz crystal plates.
1979
For contributions to the theory of piezoelectric resonators.
1978
For contributions in the field of piezoelectric crystals such as; stacked filters, electric circuit analogues and stress effects in doubly rotated plates.
1977
In recognition of theoretical and practical contributions to the Quartz Crystal Industry, and inspiration to his students to choose this field of endeavor.
1976
For outstanding contributions in the field of precision crystal controlled oscillators of high spectral purity and monolithic crystal filters.
1975
For theoretical and practical contributions in the field of frequency control and selection, as well as leadership in national and international committees on piezoelectric devices.
1974
For outstanding contributions to the synthesis of crystalline quartz with special properties for resonator applications.
1973
For major contributions to the understanding of the fundamental properties of quartz crystals, and methods for improvement of these properties in synthetic quartz.
1972
For advances in the theory and development of piezoelectric crystal devices.
1971
For development and applications of crystal devices to highly precise frequency control, and temperature and pressure instrumentation.
1970
Theoretical and experimental investigations of quartz and tutorial leadership in the field of piezoelectric crystals.
1969
Contributions to the development of high frequency thickness shear quartz resonators for precise frequency control and as an aid to the measurement of the intrinsic Q of quartz material.
1968
Curran: "For original and imaginative design of multielectrode piezoelectric resonators, contributing significantly to the rapid advance of the quartz filter art in the past few years." Fraser: "For contributions to the knowledge of the mechanisms of acoustic loss in crystalline quartz, and the evaluation of this acoustic loss by optical methods."
1967
For fundamental contributions to the theory of vibration in piezoelectric resonators leading directly to advancements in the art.
1966
Mason: For outstanding contributions in quartz crystal devices, particularly in the field of frequency selection. Bechman: For outstanding contributions in quartz crystal devices, particularly in the field of frequency control.