Thomas Watson, a former ASHRAE president and retired chief engineer at Daikin Applied, recently received the Institute of Refrigeration’s (IOR) J&E Hall Gold Medal Award for his groundbreaking work to improve the efficiency of chillers and industrial heat pumps. Watson’s work included the introduction of large capacity oil-free magnetic bearing compressors and the first centrifugal chiller with zero-ozone depleting potential. He is currently working on the safe application of low GWP flammable refrigerants. The J&E Gold Medal Award is one of the industry’s most prestigious honors and recognizes the most noteworthy practical contributions in the field of refrigeration. Watson was presented with the gold medal and a check for £5,000 by IOR president Steve
Gill at the IOR annual dinner in London in February.