With more than 440 U.S. foreign patents and world-renowned inventions such as the Segway® and the iBot® Mobility System among his collection of achievements, Dean Kamen was a natural choice for Drexel University’s 2007 Engineer of the Year. Kamen is known internationally as the president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation, but he’s also known more intimately at Drexel for founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Drexel’s College of Engineering hosts the Philadelphia regional FIRST Robotics Competition, in which teams of high school students build robots that compete with each other.  The FIRST championship is held each spring at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, and teams from all over the world participate in that event.
As a college undergraduate, Kamen invented the first wearable infusion pump, widely used in the medical fields of chemotherapy, neonatology, and endocrinology. With this invention, he developed his own company, AutoSyringe, Inc., that developed a number of infusion pumps, including the first insulin pump for diabetics.
Kamen is now working on a revolutionary water purification system, which he discussed during the Engineer of the Year lecture held in conjunction with the Engineer of the Year banquet. Once perfected, the system will be able to process virtually any water-based substance to extract drinkable water.
Kamen was honored, along with the 2007 Alumni Circle of Distinction and the 2007 College of Engineering faculty and staff award winners, at a banquet held at the Rittenhouse Hotel on Friday, February 23, 2007. 

Following is a list of all of the award winners:

Alumni Circle of Distinction 2007 Inductees
Major General John Stoner, ‘51
Regis Kubit, ‘55
Dennis Link, ’69, ‘70
Robert Vogel, ‘83
Francis Piller, ‘87

Faculty Awards

Outstanding Research
Dr. Raj Mutharasan, CBE

Outstanding Research Faculty
Dr. Zhorro Nikolov, MSE

Outstanding Service
Dr. Jeffrey Popyack, CS

Outstanding Teaching
Dr. Tein-Min Tan, MEM

Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Nihat Bilgutay, Associate Dean, ECE

Outstanding Leadership
Dr. Anthony Lowman, Associate Dean, CBE

Outstanding Auxiliary Faculty
Dr. Rick Knight, MSE

Staff Awards

Outstanding Support Staff
Amanda Gonzalez, CAEE

Outstanding Technical Staff
Dr. Mike Kennedy, ECE

Outstanding Service
Dorilona Rose, MSE