Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award

The Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award has been bestowed on 112 alumni of Worcester Polytechnic Institute since 1961 for exceptional achievement in science, technology and business.

Dr. Carlson was named president and chief executive officer of SRI International in 1998 after 20 years with Sarnoff Corporation, previously RCA Laboratories. As head of Ventures and Licensing at Sarnoff, he helped found more than a dozen companies and led the high-definition television program that became the U.S. standard in 1997.

Dr. Carlson led a team that won an Emmy in 2000 for a system that measures broadcast image quality. He has served on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, the Army Scientific Advisory Board and the Defense Science Board task force on bio-chemical defense. He is a member of the Highlands Group, which makes recommendations to senior government officials about technologies of importance to the U.S. government.While at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Carlson was recognized by Who's Who Among Students and honored by membership in Tau Beta Pi. He was active in creating Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Silicon Valley Project Center in 1999.