National Medal of Technology Winner Donates $25,000 to ARHS to Fund Engineering Innovation

The following article appeared in The Graphic of January 15, 2024. It is reposted here with permission.

Eric Swanson, winner of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI), recently donated $25,000 to Amherst Regional High School, his alma mater. 

Swanson earmarked the donation to the school’s engineering programs, coordinating the gift with Nathaniel Woodruff, ARHS’s engineering and technology department head. Woodruff has Swanson’s go-ahead to apply the funds in a way that will most benefit students. “I was convinced that giving the gift to the engineering department, with very few restrictions, was the best path to take,” said Swanson.

Swanson has been an innovator for decades. In the early 1980s, Swanson worked on inter-satellite laser communication, fiber optical communication networks, and biomedical optics at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a large, federally funded research and development center. MIT professor James Fujimoto then invited Swanson to begin collaborating with his multidisciplinary research group. 

In 1991, this group published a landmark article in the prestigious journal Science, called “Optical Coherence Tomography,” better known as OCT. By 1992, this group created a clinical prototype and began doing in vivo human retinal imaging.

“OCT is a broad and powerful technology that will increasingly address pressing needs throughout medical and industrial imaging and will continue to have a positive effect on millions of people,” said Swanson. 

He and his colleagues recently won the National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI) the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, which was bestowed by President Biden at a White House ceremony in October of 2023.

“It was very surreal entering the White House,” recalled Swanson. He had a chance to wander around the East Wing and marvel at all the historic paintings, photographs, and furnishings. Before the ceremony started, Swanson and his immediate family had some private time to meet and chat with the president. 

“It was very nice of him to take that extra time and personal touch. The ceremony was wonderful too. It’s still hard for me to fathom that I was actually in the White House and received a medal from the president,” said Swanson.

Swanson is very optimistic about how his donation will be used to fund engineering and support teachers at ARHS. Many find it unbelievable that a donation of $25,000 was given to a public high school but Swanson felt that he wanted to give back to the high school he attended. 

“I can vividly recall so many wonderful teachers in every subject area even though it has been over 40 years. Even though none of them are still at ARHS, I wanted to say ‘thank you’ for their effort and inspiration,” said Swanson, noting that all his teachers at ARHS influenced him greatly, helping him to become who he is today.  

“I feel K-12 education is one of the most important areas in society and I am sure there are far more challenges for teachers and administrators today than in the past, and maybe this gift will help a little,” he said.

When Swanson attended ARHS he said he was an “average student academically” and when he was accepted to UMass Amherst, he decided to more seriously commit to his school work.

Swanson recalls one of his engineering professors offering encouraging words that he took to heart: “Doing well in courses is kind of like surfing: if you paddle hard at the beginning before the big wave then it is not that hard to stay in front of the wave,” he said. “But if you get behind, it can be really difficult to catch up.”

He strove to work very hard, attend all his classes, read the textbook chapters ahead of lectures, do all his homework, and keep trying to persevere. After four years at UMass Amherst Swanson graduated in Electrical Engineering with all A’s except for one A-. 

This led to Swanson earning a full scholarship to enter graduate study at MIT. ”I think it’s important for graduating seniors to remember and value that college will be a fresh start,” said Swanson.

Swanson presently lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife. He has two grown children, a daughter who lives nearby him and a son who lives in Seattle. In his free time, he enjoys being out in nature, playing sports and games, boating, traveling, listening to music, and amateur filmmaking. 

In addition to offering financial support to ARHS, Swanson had some words of advice and encouragement for ARHS students today. “Work hard and try to work for bosses/mentors you trust, admire, and can learn from,” he said. “Embrace lifelong learning. Be curious. And be kind.”

For an even more detailed Q&A with Swanson, click here.

Nipuni Dayarathne is a senior at ARHS and a member of Sara Barber-Just’s Journalistic Writing.