Westinghouse Electric Company's Howard Bruschi Elected To Royal Academy Of Engineering

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Westinghouse Electric Company today announced that Howard Bruschi has been elected an International Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom.  He was cited for his exceptional leadership and ingenuity in the design, development and licensing of the Westinghouse Electric Company advanced passively safe AP600™ and AP1000™ nuclear power reactors.

Mr. Bruschi was formally inducted into The Royal Academy in a ceremony conducted in Drapers' Hall in London.  He received his certificate of Academy Fellowship from His Royal Highness Prince Philip and Lord Browne of Madingley, President of The Royal Academy of Engineering.  He was one of only six inductees from outside of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Bruschi, who retired from Westinghouse as senior vice president and chief  technology officer, is currently an executive consultant to Westinghouse on matters of advanced nuclear plant strategy, design, licensing and commercialization. He is a graduate of Cornell University with a B.S. and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering, and also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. He has also completed an executive program at the Harvard Business School. In 1997, the American Nuclear Society awarded him the Walter H. Zinn Award for outstanding contributions and leadership in advancing the nuclear power industry throughout the world. He was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2008.

Dr. Aris Candris, Westinghouse President and Chief Executive Office said of the honor, "Mr. Bruschi's election to the Royal Academy of Engineering is well-deserved recognition of his role in the technology development and eventual commercialization of the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor.   His leadership was a driving force in the development and licensing of an exceedingly safe, environmentally friendly and economically competitive nuclear plant design."

Westinghouse is actively engaged in licensing the AP1000 reactor in the U.K., where it is one of two nuclear plant designs being reviewed by the British regulators for construction in that country. Currently, Westinghouse is implementing contracts to provide four AP1000 plants to China, which are under construction and on schedule.  In addition, there are six AP1000 plants under contract in the U.S. – the first new nuclear plant contracts awarded in the U.S. in 30 years. 

The roots of the Royal Academy go back to Britain's Royal Society – an academy of scientists founded in 1660.  The Royal Academy brings together the most eminent engineers from all disciplines to promote excellence in the science, art and practice of engineering.  The Academy's priorities are to enhance Britain's engineering capabilities, to celebrate excellence and inspire the next generation, and to lead debate by guiding informed thinking and influencing public policy.

Founded in 1976, The Royal Academy of Engineering promotes the engineering and technological welfare of the country. The fellowship - comprising the UK's most eminent engineers - provides the leadership and expertise for ongoing activities, which focus on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life. As a national academy, they provide independent and impartial advice to Government; work to secure the next generation of engineers; and provide a voice for Britain's engineering community.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation (TKY:6502), is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world.  Westinghouse supplied the world's first pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa.  Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants, including 60 percent of those in the United States.

SOURCE Westinghouse Electric Company