IEEE Awards Booklet - 2010 - 19

I E E E

T E C H N I C A L

F I E L D

AWA R D S

2010 IEEE
Koji Kobayashi Computers and
Communications Award

2010 IEEE
Gustav Robert Kirchhoff Award
Sponsored by IEEE Circuits and
Systems Society

Sponsored by NEC Corporation

Hitoshi Watanabe

Larry Peterson

For pioneering contributions to filter design theory
and computer-aided circuit design

For groundbreaking contributions to the design,
implementation and deployment of networked
software systems

Hitoshi Watanabe's vision and determination established circuit
design methods that led to the era of computer-aided design, an
indispensable tool for developing complex electronic circuits.
Faced with the task of designing electrical wave filters for Japan's
telecommunications infrastructure after World War II, Dr.
Watanabe found that existing filter design methods were not
feasible for creating the wide range of filters needed for a modern
system. He developed a new mathematical theory that allowed
any filter design to be uniformly captured, but it required an
enormous amount of numerical calculations. During the 1950s
these were performed by motor-driven calculators, so he set out
to design a computer to automate the task, and was devoted to
build it. This computer was able to execute double-precision
floating-point operations via built-in dual arithmetic units, which
was highly innovative at the time. An IEEE Life Fellow, Dr.
Watanabe is currently a Professor Emeritus in the Department of
Information Systems Science at Soka University, Tokyo, Japan.

Larry Peterson, a leader of experimental research that evaluates
new ideas through large-scale worldwide deployment studies incorporating real prototypes has revolutionized networking research.
Dr. Peterson's PlanetLab has provided researchers with the ability to
actually deploy and test distributed systems projects that were previously limited to paper studies and simulation. Initially deployed in
2002, it is currently the most widely used and influential platform for
networking and distributed systems research. PlanetLab is a set of
servers distributed across the Internet on which researchers can
install and operate widely distributed systems such as content
delivery networks, file sharing protocols and network measurement
tools. Incorporating over 1,000 computers at 485 sites spread
among over 40 countries and used by over 4,000 researchers, it has
led to major innovations in distributed systems and has inspired
many other platforms for network virtualization and distributed
networks. An IEEE Fellow, Dr. Peterson is currently the Robert E.
Kahn Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University, N.J.

2010 IEEE
William E. Newell Power
Electronics Award

2010 IEEE
Frederik Philips Award

Sponsored by IEEE Power Electronics Society

Sponsored by Philips Electronics NV

Akio Nakagawa

John E. Kelly, III

For development of non-latch-up
IGBTs

For leadership in the development and commercialization
of silicon technology and for forging industry-university
partnerships for semiconductor research and development

Akio Nakagawa's development of the non-latch-up insulatedgate bipolar transistor (IGBT), which switches power at high
speed, created an indispensable power device now used in applications ranging from air conditioners to hybrid vehicles.
Before Dr. Nakagawa's pioneering work in 1984, IGBTs of that
time were prone to failure or even destruction due to latch-up
(a type of short circuit) caused by the parasitic thyristor of the
IGBT. His invented design principles completely suppressed
the latch-up even under high-voltage and large-current
operating conditions. The ability to withstand the "load-shortcircuit" condition for more than 20 µs exceeded the capability
of existing bipolar transistors. This set the global standard for
IGBT design and enabled its successful commercialization. An
IEEE Senior Member, Dr. Nakagawa is currently Technical
Consultant of Nakagawa Consulting Office. He previously
served as Chief Fellow of Toshiba Corporation Semiconductor
Company, Tokyo, Japan from 2005 to 2009.

The leadership and strategic vision of John E. Kelly III has led IBM to
major technology breakthroughs and partnerships. Among the
many innovations developed under Dr. Kelly's guidance, IBM introduced "copper back end of line," rolled out 300-nanometer wafer
scale and brought silicon-on-insulator technology to the high-performance microprocessor market. His unification efforts within IBM
streamlined the process of bringing research and development
concepts to manufacturing and commercialization. Dr. Kelly's
passion for semiconductor technology was also instrumental in
creating an industry-public sector alliance that resulted in the Center
of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology and the
NanoTech Complex at the College of Nanoscale Science and
Engineering in Albany, N.Y. The NanoTech Complex is a first-of-itskind education paradigm providing unique opportunities for
students while supporting the workforce needs of the semiconductor industry. An IEEE Fellow, Dr. Kelly is currently senior vice president
and director of research at IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Awards Booklet - 2010