Cato Laurencin
University Professor, The University of Connecticut
Established in 1929, the Hoover Medal is administered by a board representing five engineering organizations: AIChE, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
The prize commemorates the civic and humanitarian achievements of an engineer whose professional and personal endeavors have advanced the well-being of humankind.
We are pleased to announce that the 2021 Hoover Medalist Cato T. Laurencin, M.D. Ph.D, University Professor, Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Chief Executive Officer, The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, The University of Connecticut, will deliver a lecture at the 2021 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA.
Dr. Laurencin has been awarded the Hoover Medal “For being a foremost champion of diversity for the profession of engineering. His actions in direct mentoring, policy and creating institutional change have helped form a more inclusive world.”
In two talks, Dr. Laurencin will focus on the two areas for which he received the Hoover Medal: his work in social justice, and his work in mentoring.
In his first talk, Black Lives Matter in Science, Engineering and Medicine, delivered when he received the Herbert W. Nickens Award, he will discuss addressing racism as being key in moving forward to create a more equitable environment. Dr. Laurencin describes the critical need to shift from diversity, inclusion, and equity (D.I.E.) to inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racism, and learning (I.D.E.A.L.)
In his second talk, Success is What You Leave Behind, he will discuss the 14 principles of success he has taught his students. The principles are a part of his forthcoming biography published by Elsevier, entitled "Success is What You Leave Behind".
The session will be chaired by Maria K. Burka, National Science Foundation.
