Dean Kamen Named Lindbergh Award Winner

The Lindbergh Foundation will present famed inventor and pilot Dean Kamen with this year's Lindbergh Award next week at Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. Best known for inventing the Segway people mover, Kamen earned special recognition from the Lindbergh Foundation for his lifesaving inventions, including the insulin pump, and his work as the founder and lead promoter of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an educational program that hosts science competitions at schools around the world. Kamen also owns and flies a Beech Premier I light jet. Airshow pilot Sean Tucker will serve as master of ceremonies at the 2011 Lindbergh Awards Celebration on Wednesday, March 31, where the Foundation will also honor Milbry Polk, author, explorer, and founder of WINGS WorldQuest, a group devoted to women explorers, and corporate award winner GE Aviation. The event will also include a live auction, with proceeds to benefit the Lindbergh Foundation and Sun 'n Fun. Beginning with the inception of the foundation on the 50th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's famous transatlantic flight, the Lindbergh Award has been presented annually to individuals whose work has made significant contributions reflecting the foundation's mission of balancing technology and nature. Last year the award went to Cessna president, CEO and chairman Jack Pelton.