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John A. Swanson is an American engineer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Swanson is the founder of ANSYS, Inc., a
John Fritz Medal The John Fritz Medal has been awarded annually since 1902 by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for "outstanding scientific or industrial achievements". The medal was created for the 80th birthday of John Fritz, who lived bet ...
winner, and a member of the
National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...
. He is internationally regarded as an authority and pioneer in the application of finite-element methods to engineering.


Career

Swanson graduated with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
and a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in
mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...
from
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
in 1962 and 1963, respectively. He went on to earn a
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in applied mechanics from the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
in 1966. Swanson began his engineering career in 1963 at Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
and was responsible for
stress analysis Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology) Stress, whether physiological, biological or psychological, is an organism's response to a stressor, such as an environmental condition or change in life circumstances. When s ...
of the components in
NERVA Nerva (; born Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynast ...
nuclear reactor rockets and was supervisor of the core analysis and methods group and the manager of the structural analysis group. While there he used and developed computer codes to model and predict transient stresses and displacements of the reactor system. Developing a 3-D analysis model, he wished to integrate different computer codes in order to streamline the processing, but left Westinghouse in 1969 when he was not supported in his endeavors. He then founded Swanson Analysis Systems, doing both software development and consulting. The consulting business was sold to a friend, and the software development business became ANSYS, Inc., in his home in Pittsburgh in 1970 to develop, support and market the ANSYS simulation software program he was developing. The software became an industry leader for assisting engineers and designers in optimizing product development processes in the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, manufacturing and electronics industries by simulating how products will function in real life. The company eventually grew to employ 4,000 employees and distributes products through a network of business partners in more than 40 countries. Swanson was ANSYS's president,
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
, and director. He retired from ANSYS in March 1999 as the company's chief technologist. Swanson was named the 1987 Pittsburgh Engineer of the Year by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). In 1990, Swanson won the Computers in Engineering Award for outstanding contributions to the engineering & computing industries. In 1994 he was named One of the Top 5 of the Top 50 R&D Stars in the US by ''
IndustryWeek ''IndustryWeek'' (''IW'') is an online American trade publication founded in 1882 as ''Iron Review'', changing its name to ''IW'' in 1970. It focuses largely on mechanical manufacturing operations, leadership, technology and supply chain covera ...
'' and was elected as an ASME Fellow. In 1998, Swanson won the ASME Applied Mechanics Award and received the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering's Distinguished Alumni Award. He was awarded honorary membership in the ASME in 2003. In 2004, Swanson was awarded the John Fritz Medal, considered the highest and most prestigious award in the engineering profession, from the American Association of Engineering Societies. In 2006 he was awarded the ASME President's Award for significant contributions to the engineering profession, and in 2009 he was elected to the
National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...
. Swanson is a member of the ASME Foundation's board of directors and is a member of the board of trustees. He is on the board of trustees of the University of Pittsburgh since 2006, and on the board of trustees at
Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...
. Swanson is a consultant and trainer in the field of engineering simulation at ANSYS. Now residing in
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, Swanson joined the
University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...
Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation in 2014, where he is a member and courtesy professor.


Philanthropy

At Cornell University, Swanson established the Swanson Fund for Excellence in Undergraduate Education and endowed the director of the Swanson Laboratory for Engineering Simulation in the
Cornell University College of Engineering The Cornell University College of Engineering (branded as Cornell Engineering) is the engineering school of Cornell University. It was founded in 1870 as the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts. It is one of four private u ...
. He also made two significant gifts in support of the Duffield Hall project, where an atrium was named in recognition of his support, and established the Dorothy G. Swanson Award, in honor of his mother, at the school. At
Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...
, Swanson donated $10 million to fund construction of the John A. Swanson Science Center that will primarily houses physics and chemistry departments. Swanson's $287,000 donation to the college established the Swanson Wellness Center in the school's Old Gym. He and his wife Janet also funded the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center. At the University of Pittsburgh, Swanson donated tens of millions to the university and its engineering school, including a $41.3 million gift in 2007 which, at that time, was the largest single gift ever by an individual to the university. At the University of Pittsburgh, he has created the John A. Swanson Institute for Technical Excellence, which houses the John A. Swanson Center for Micro and Nano Systems; the John A. Swanson Center for Product Innovation; and the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Center of Excellence. He also has established the John A. Swanson Embedded Computing Laboratory in Computer Engineering. Swanson also helped to fund an extensive renovation of the school of engineering's Benedum Hall and created an endowed discretionary fund to support scholarships and various projects at the school. In 2007, the university renamed its school of engineering to the Swanson School of Engineering in his honor. On May 2, 2010, Swanson delivered the commencement address at the University of Pittsburgh. He was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...
degree by the university during the ceremony. On May 19, 2012, Swanson delivered the keynote address at the 213th Commencement ceremony at
Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...
and received an honorary degree.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swanson, John A. Living people 21st-century American engineers Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering American technology chief executives American chief technology officers Washington & Jefferson College trustees Cornell University College of Engineering alumni Swanson School of Engineering alumni American technology company founders Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Year of birth missing (living people)