Dr. Joel S. Engel

2013 Charles Stark Draper Prize

One of the key technologies that underlie modern mobile telephony is the cellular system. Much of the research to develop a true cellular system, where mobile units jump from one cell to another, was done at Bell Labs in the US beginning as far back as 1947.

A breakthrough came with results provided by Joel Engel and Richard Frenkiel of Bell Labs, who developed the concept of a network of hexagonal cells. Engel supervised the group that produced a comprehensive technical filing with the FCC that covered system architecture, detailed design parameters, and the theory and field measurements on which they were based. In 1971, they submitted their report to the FCC proposing an analog cellular telephone system, essentially launching the cellular telephone age.

Mr. Richard H. Frenkiel

2013 Charles Stark Draper Prize

Richard Frenkiel and Joel Engel are often spoken of together for their groundbreaking work in the development of cellular technology, but each is also a pioneer in his own right.

In 1965, Frenkiel joined with Engel and other engineers in the early planning of cellular telephone systems. Their proposal for a commercial cellular system was ultimately implemented by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Later, as head of the Mobile Systems Engineering Deptartment at Bell Labs, his department developed interface specifications for nationwide compatibility among cellular companies.

After the FCC allocated new frequencies in 1968 for mobile phones, Frenkiel’s engineering team developed specifications for cellular networks and its parameterization (1971), which formed the basis for the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS).

Dr. Thomas Haug

2013 Charles Stark Draper Prize

Thomas Haug played a pivotal roll in uniting European mobile phone standards. Named chairman of Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) in 1978, he began there as secretary of the working group’s first meeting in 1970. With a vision of a common Nordic standard for mobile telephony, he led NMT cooperation across the borders of the Nordic countries, paving the way to growth in network continuity and use.

Based on and inspired by the experience gained in the work on the NMT system, he later led a committee (Groupe Spécial Mobile or GSM for short), set up in 1982 by the telecom operators in Europe, in order to develop a common European system. Uniting the telecom operators of Europe involved encouraging competing manufacturers to work out technical solutions based on the developed system standard. Despite countless challenges, he always found a way forward in the pioneering effort.

Named Chairman of the Groupe Spécial Mobile, he served until 1992, when GSM telephony was introduced in Europe. In 1987, together with Östen Mäkitalo, Thomas Haug was awarded the gold medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) for their groundbreaking NMT work.

Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasan

2013 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize

Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasan spent 30 years at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center. Throughout his career, he has received many honors and awards and has been granted 21 U.S. patents. In 1981, Srinivasan, working with James Wynne and Samuel Blum, discovered that an ultraviolet excimer laser could etch living tissue in a precise manner with no thermal damage to the surrounding area. He named the phenomenon Ablative Photodecomposition (APD).

In 1983, Srinivasan collaborated with an ophthalmic surgeon to develop APD to etch the cornea, which resulted in a procedure to correct vision known today as LASIK surgery. Since the introduction of LASIK, millions of people have taken advantage of this procedure that reduces dependency on corrective lenses.

Dr. James J. Wynne

2013 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize

James Wynne is co-inventor of a process using a short pulse ultraviolet laser to etch tissue in minute increments and in a highly controlled fashion. The process, discovered with colleagues Rangaswamy Srinivasan and Samuel Blum at IBM, allows safe removal of material to a precisely determined depth. It led the way to such modern refractive surgeries as PRK and LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis).

Joining IBM in 1969, he was serving as manager of the laser physics and chemistry group when his team discovered excimer laser surgery. The excimer laser breakthrough made it possible to permanently change the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, and thus permanently improve vision.

The recipient of many IBM honors, Wynne has been involved with education outreach since the early 1990s and is presently exploring new ways to apply laser technology to dermatology.

Dr. Richard K. Miller

2013 Bernard M. Gordon Prize

Dr. Richard K. Miller was named President and first employee of the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in 1999, where he also holds an appointment as Professor of Mechanical Engineering. As the new College’s visionary leader, he has led its growth and served as constant liaison with its Board of Trustees.

Dr. Miller is the author or co-author of some 100 reviewed journal articles and other technical publications. He has served as a consultant to such companies as The Aerospace Corporation, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Hughes Aircraft Company (now Raytheon Company), and Astro Aerospace Corporation (now Northrop Grumman Corporation), and more.

Dr. David V. Kerns, Jr.

2013 Bernard M. Gordon Prize

As Founding Provost of Olin College, David V. Kerns, Jr., was responsible for determining the qualifications for and recruiting Olin's founding faculty. He authored "The Olin College Curricular Vision" and Olin's faculty manual and led development of Olin's innovative curriculum, student life, library and information services and helped set the College's faculty culture of student-centered, project-based education. Currently serving as Franklin and Mary Olin Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at the College, he has been a leader in engineering education for many years.

A former technical staff member at Bell Telephone Laboratories, he designed and developed bipolar and CMOS, analog and digital integrated circuits. He co-founded and served as President of Insouth Microsystems, Inc., a microelectronics company that produced solid-state sensors, hybrid microcircuits, and silicon VLSI devices.

Dr. Sherra E. Kerns

2013 Bernard M. Gordon Prize

Founding Vice President of Innovation and Research at Olin College, Dr. Sherra Kerns guided the development of a unique faculty vision. She also created Olin's intellectual property policy and led efforts that resulted in institutional and professional accreditations for all programs.

She joined Olin College in 1999 and helped create a culture that rewards innovation, learning by discovery, and the taking of appropriate risks. In 2007, she became a F.W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the College.

Named an IEEE Fellow for her technical accomplishments in designing computers that are immune to information disruption by harsh cosmic ion and space weapons environments, she is also a recipient of the IEEE’s prestigious Millennium Medal.