Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award
Karan Lea Watson is the 2024 Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award recipient.
About the Award
The Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award honors an individual whose rare commitment and enduring impact has made ABET a better organization.
For this reason, a Grinter Award recipient may not be chosen every year, only when the discernable influence of one ABET Expert’s tenure warrants singular recognition. Their achievements are not year-to-year, they span decades and have shaped the course of our work.
The award is our highest honor and the contributions of its recipients define our organization.
Linton E. Grinter
In 1972, Dr. Linton E. Grinter received the first Distinguished Service Award from ABET’s predecessor, the Engineer’s Council for Professional Development (ECPD). To convey the lasting impact that his achievements would have, the award was immediately renamed in his honor.
Dr. Grinter was an outstanding leader, as a member of ECPD and as an academic. Among his many achievements, he chaired the committees that produced three reports that have had major effects on engineering education: (1) the 1945 Manual of Graduate Study in Engineering; (2) the groundbreaking 1955 Report of the Committee on Evaluation of Engineering Education, now known as “The Grinter Report” —a major work in the development of engineering curricula that outlines specific objectives for both the technical and humanities areas of study necessary for future engineers; and (3) the 1972 Report on Engineering Technology Education.
His professional career spanned over 50 years and included many awards and honors from his peers. From 1963-1967, Dr. Grinter served as Vice President and President of the ECPD. His powerful insight into the future of the engineering profession was not merely felt by the ECPD and the engineering education of his time; his enduring legacy continues to shape our work throughout technical education and across the globe.
Recipients of the Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award are ABET Experts who follow in Grinter’s footsteps, surpassing the highest expectations of effort and commitment. It is our organization’s highest honor.
2024 Winner
Karan Lea Watson
For transformational leadership in guiding ABET through significant organizational restructuring that resulted in more agile and strategic governance. Dr. Watson’s wisdom, ability to forge consensus, and contributions in multiple ABET roles significantly enhanced and elevated public confidence in engineering education and ABET accreditation.
Karan Watson, Ph.D., P.E., has worked for 41 years for Texas A&M University as a faculty member, a dean and the provost. She has chaired the research committees of over 100 graduate students and has been the principal or co-principal investigator on over $125 million in funded studies. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Texas Tech. She is a past president of ABET and the Education Society of IEEE, and the chair of the ECE and WIE divisions of ASEE. Watson is also a fellow of ABET, ASEE and IEEE. She has won many awards that include the Lifetime Achievement Award from ASEE, the IEEE bronze medal for undergraduate teaching, the AAAS mentor award, and The U.S. Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Award Benefits
The award winner will be honored during the ABET Awards program in the fall. The recipient will also be featured on our website and social media pages as well as recognized in a press release.
The Nomination Kit
The Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award is given to a nominee selected by their peers. To learn more about the process and criteria involved, or to nominate one of your peers, please review our nomination kit. The deadline for nominations is April 20, 2025 and only complete nominations with references will be accepted.