he was elected to the national academy of engineering in april, 1966. he was awarded the ieee edison medal in 1971 "for sustained contributions to society through the development and engineering design of nuclear power systems." simpson received in 1982 the walter h. zinn award from the american nuclear society. he also was a fellow of the ieee, and a member of the american society of mechanical engineers, the society of naval architects and marine engineering and the atomic industrial forum. simpson was the author of several nonfiction books including "nuclear power from underseas to outer space".