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Kershner Award

The Executive Committee of PLANS 1986 established an award for outstanding achievement.  The purpose was to recognize individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the technology of navigation and position equipment, systems or practices.  The committee has established this as a PLANS tradition, thus permitting the IEEE to recognize those who have contributed most significantly to this modern era of electronic navigation.  

It is appropriate that the award has been named for Dr. Richard B. Kershner (1913-1982).  Dr. Kershner participated in the initial conception and then led the development of Transit, the world's first navigation satellite system.  His technical contributions and his leadership of the Program at the Johns Hopkins Applied Phusics Laboratory are examples of the highest standards of personal and professional performance which this award is intended to recognize.  The Transit Program was first funded in 1959, and the system become operational in 1964.  During this short interval Dr. Kershner directed the development and launch of some of the world's first satellites, developed user equipment for both submarines and surface ships, and founded the science of satellite Doppler geodesy to improve knowledge of the earth's gravity field.  The result was a navigation satellite system which served the U.S. Navy and tens of thousands of civil users worldwide.  

The PLANS 2006 Kershner Award was presented to Dr. Myron Kayton.

Dr. Myron Kayton has 50 years of -experience designing avionic, navigation, communication, and computer-automation systems.

Dr. Kayton received a Ph.D. in Instrumentation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1960, an M.S. from Harvard University with a concentration in electrical engineering, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from The Cooper Union.

From 1960 to 1965, he was section head at Litton's Guidance and Control Division where he designed and analyzed some of the earliest multi-sensor navigation systems.

From 1965 to 1968, Dr. Kayton served as deputy manager for Lunar Module Guidance and Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center where his office directed the contractors designing two inertial navigation systems, an alignment telescope, and the flight controls.

From 1968 to 1981 at TRW, Dr. Kayton served as chief engineer for spacelab avionics, head of system engineering for space shuttle avionics, and project engineer for the electronics of the inertial upper stage and a nuclear power plant, among many assignments.

Presently, Dr. Kayton is a consulting engineering at Kayton Engineering Company serving clients in the areas of automotive electronic systems, automated process systems, upper-stage spacecraft, a satellite interceptor, commercial communication systems, numerous aircraft avionic systems, and a dozen land navigators.

Dr. Kayton is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), was an elected member of the corporate board of directors, and served two terms as president of its Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS). He has been technical chairman for several conference sessions, keynote speaker, and an active member of standards committees for navigation sensors and computers for nuclear power plants. Dr. Kayton taught at UCLA and is a IEEE Distinguished Lecturer. He is the author of numerous papers and of the standard reference text, Avionics and Navigation Systems (1st and 2nd editions) and of Navigation: Land, Sea, Air, and Space. He is a past recipient of the IEEE's Millennium Medal. He is listed in Who's Who in Engineering, Who's Who in America, and in American Men and Women in Science.

The PLANS 2006 Executive Committee is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of Dr. Myron Kayton.  

Past Recipients of the Kershner Award:

1986 Bradford Parkinson
 1988 Fred Aronowitz
 1990 Bahar Uttam
 1992 Alvin Pierce and Eric Swanson
 1994 Joseph Killpatrick
 1996 Charles Trimble
 1998 Charles C. (Chuck) Counselman III
2000 Mr. Tom Stansell
2002 R. Grover Brown
2004 Itzhack Y. Bar-Itzhack
 2006 Dr. Myron Kayton
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