Johnson to Receive 2020 McCormick Medal

Fischell Department of Bioengineering professor emeritus Arthur Johnson was named the winner of the 2020 Cyrus Hall McCormick-Jerome Increase Case Gold Medal by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

The award honors exceptional and meritorious engineering achievement in agriculture that has resulted in new concepts, products, processes, or methods that advanced the development of agriculture. ASABE is slated to present Johnson with the award in July 2020.

Johnson’s research interests center heavily on human performance wearing respiratory protective masks, respiratory mechanics and measurement, and transport processes. In recent years, he taught electronic design, transport processes, and engineering in biology, and has worked to continue development of the airflow perturbation device as a noninvasive measurement of respiratory resistance. Johnson’s dedication to the classroom previously earned him the Excellence in Teaching Materials Award in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division and the Theo Pilkington Outstanding Teacher Award in the Biomedical Engineering Division, both from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Immediately after earning his Ph.D. in 1969, Johnson began service as an officer in the U.S. Army, eventually serving in Vietnam at the rank of captain. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and Bronze Star Medal. He joined the faculty of the University of Maryland in 1975, and served as a professor from 1986 until 2009, when he became professor emeritus.

Johnson was co-chairman of the committee to found the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) from 1988 to 1992, and served as the executive director of AIMBE in 2004. He also previously served as president of the Alliance for Engineering in Medicine and Biology (1984-1988), the Institute for Biological Engineering (1998), and the International Society for Respiratory Protection (2004-2006). He was the Secretary of the Biomedical Engineering Society from 2004 to 2009 and previously served on the Board of Directors for the American Society for Agricultural and Biological Engineers (1995-1997).

Presented annually from 1932 through 1985 as the Cyrus Hall McCormick Medal, the Cyrus Hall McCormick-Jerome Increase Case Gold Medal took on a fresh look and name in 1986 to reflect the image of its current sponsor, CNH Industrial.

Published April 15, 2020