IBM San Diego, the local office for the computer manufacturer and retailer, recently welcomed Larry Larson into its Class of 2001 Distinguished Engineer program.
The DE program recognizes employees who are among the top in their technical field and assigns honorees to an executive position at IBM.
As a DE, Larson now works as a technical lead, supervising the development and design of next-generation cell phones.
Before his DE honor, Larson was a professor of electrical engineering at UCSD for five years.
The DE program is one of the company’s most significant achievements, with only 66 employees worldwide inducted into this year’s class.
Nominated by a supervisor, Larson said the process was anonymous and applicants were judged on their merit and achievements.
For the last two years, Larson has been a fellow at the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc., a nationwide association dedicated to promoting the advancement and developments of the engineering process.
Larson also has 30 patents and has written and published 150 papers and two books on electrical engineering.
The native New Yorker said these accomplishments helped his nomination to stand out.
“I’m very privileged it’s a very special award,” he said.
While he does miss teaching, Larson said he can’t put his new position over the old one.
According to IBM standards, the idea behind the DE program is to increase technical leadership at IBM and make sure key technical people stay rewarded and in touch with their colleagues.
An official ceremony will be held in June to formalize the honor.
IBM San Diego has a total of 261 Distinguished Engineers companywide.
The Distinguished Engineer program was started in 1995 and today has nearly 140,000 technical employees worldwide.
