Morton Student Paper Contest History
The Morton Contest began in 1959 after a $2000 gift to the then Lehigh Valley Section of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE). C.S. Brangan of Philadelphia donated the money in memory of his close friend, Walter B. Morton, who was the chief electrical engineer of PP&L Company and who had a distinct interest in student activities through the AIEE. Brangan stipulated that the money was to provide a prize for a contest to be held among the undergraduate colleges with AIEE student branches in the Lehigh Valley Section; at the time of the gift, those colleges were Bucknell University, Lafayette College, and Lehigh. Brangan specified that the money was to last for 20 years, so there was one prize awarded in 1959 of $100. The Lehigh Valley section has continued to support the contest beyond the initial 20 years, and starting in 2012 prizes were raised to $500 for first place, $300 for second and $100 for third place. In 2021 the Lehigh Valley Section raised the prize values to $550 for first place, $350 for second, and $150 for third. The branch of the first place prizewinner also gets a plaque for display.
The Lehigh Valley section now consists of four branches: Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Wilkes University and the University of Scranton. Bucknell was removed from the Lehigh Valley section in 1963 but was grandfathered into contest participation by the Section Executive Committee, however has not participated in several years making four total participating branches in the contest.
First place finishers over the 60-year history of the Morton Student Paper Contest: