April 18, 2022 — Southwest Research Institute has received the IEEE Region 5 2021 Outstanding Large Company Award. SwRI Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Walt Downing, P.E., and Defense and Intelligence Solutions Division Vice President Nils Smith, P.E., accepted the award at the region’s annual meeting in Houston on April 2.
The award recognizes SwRI’s outstanding contributions to IEEE, Region 5 and engineering societies. Smith and Downing are chair and vice-chair, respectively, of Region 5’s Lone Star Section, representing Central and South Texas.
“We started the Lone Star Section to better serve the needs of IEEE members in the San Antonio area and raise the profile of San Antonio as a technology hub,” Smith said. “SwRI IEEE members have stepped up and led this effort, raising the prominence of SwRI in our community and elevating the STEM focus in San Antonio.”
SwRI engineers and scientists develop solutions for a range of technical challenges, serving government and industry clients. SwRI areas of expertise include software design and implementation, machine learning technologies, intelligent transportation systems, automated manufacturing systems, industrial engineering solutions, communications electronics and more.
“We are proud to be selected for this award,” Downing said. “For decades, we have enjoyed a collaborative relationship with IEEE in a global community of technical professionals. We share the common mission of advancing technology to benefit humanity.”
The Region 5 Outstanding Large Company Award is presented to companies with more than 500 employees. SwRI previously received the award in 2016.
“IEEE, and especially Region 5, are fortunate to have SwRI in our community. SwRI contributes in so many ways to IEEE’s goal: to advance technology for the benefit of humanity,” said Leslie Martinich, the IEEE Region 5 Awards Chair.
IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization, is chartered under the longer name, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. However, because membership extends beyond engineers, the organization uses the shorter name, IEEE, pronounced “I triple E.” Members include engineers, scientists, software developers and other technology professionals.
IEEE has 10 regions and 430,000 members worldwide. Region 5 encompasses Midwestern and Southern states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas as well as parts of Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming.
For more information on SwRI’s technology solutions visit Electronics and Automation or contact Lisa Peña at +1 210 522 2046, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX, 78238-5166.