The Engineer's Society of Western Pennsylvania has named William "Red" Whittaker, University professor of robotics, as the winner of this year's William Metcalf Award, which recognizes an outstanding U.S. engineer whose accomplishments relate to an engineering field asssociated with Western Pennsylvania, such as steel, coal, construction, glass and, now, robotics.

Whittaker will receive the award at the society's annual awards banquet, Feb. 17, at Heinz Field.

Whittaker, the Fredkin Research Professor of Robotics, is director of the Field Robotics Center and has been a faculty member since 1977. Previous winners of the award, which is named for the engineering society's first president, include Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon and Jay Apt, distinguished service professor of engineering and public policy and an associate research professor of business.