George H. Heilmeier
George H. Heilmeier | |
---|---|
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | May 22, 1936
Died | April 21, 2014 Plano, Texas, U.S. | (aged 77)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Princeton University (PhD, MS, MA) University of Pennsylvania (BS) |
Awards | IEEE Founders Medal (1986) National Medal of Science (1991) IRI Medal (1993) IEEE Medal of Honor (1997) John Fritz Medal (1999) Kyoto Prize (2005) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Electrical engineering |
George Harry Heilmeier (May 22, 1936 – April 21, 2014) was an American
Biography
Heilmeier was born in
In 1958 Heilmeier joined
Heilmeier spent much of the 1970s in the
In December 1977 Heilmeier left government to become vice president at
Heilmeier had received numerous awards, held 15 patents, and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Defense Science Board, and the National Security Agency Advisory Board. He served on the board of trustees of Fidelity Investments and of Teletech Holdings, and the Board of Overseers of the School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Pennsylvania. He died of a stroke in 2014.[3]
Dr. Heilmeier, the son of a janitor, was the first member of his family to finish high school. His daughter, Beth Jarvie, said “it was the Christian character of my dad” as well as his ability to put his head down and push forward with the work at hand that played major roles in his contributions.[4]
Heilmeier's Catechism
A set of questions credited to Heilmeier that anyone proposing a research project or product development effort should be able to answer.[5][6]
- What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.
- How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
- What's new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
- Who cares? If you're successful, what difference will it make?
- What are the risks and the payoffs?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
- What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success?
Selected awards
- 1976 IEEE David Sarnoff Award, IEEE
- 1990 C&C Prize
- 1991 National Medal of Science, USA
- 1992 National Academy of Engineering Founders Award, USA
- 1993 IRI Medal from the Industrial Research Institute, USA
- 1993 Vladimir Karapetoff Eminent Members' Award, Eta Kappa Nu
- 1996 John Scott Award, City of Philadelphia[7]
- 1997 IEEE Medal of Honor, IEEE
- 1999 John Fritz Medal, American Association of Engineering Societies
- 2005 Kyoto Prize in advanced technology, Inamori Foundation
- 2006 Edwin H. Land Medal
- 2012 Charles Stark Draper Prize, National Academy of Engineering
Selected publications
- 1966 "Possible Ferroelectric Effects in Liquid Crystals and Related Liquids" (Williams, R. and Heilmeier, G. H.), Journal of Chemical Physics, 44: 638.
- 1968 "Dynamic Scattering: A New Electrooptic Effect in Certain Classes of Nematic Liquid Crystals" (with Zanoni, L. A. and Barton, L. A.), Proceedings of the IEEE, 56: 1162.
- 1970 "Liquid Crystal Display Devices", Scientific American, 222: 100.
- 1976 "Liquid Crystal Displays: An Experiment in Interdisciplinary Research that Worked", IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, ED-23: 780.
References
- ^ "Milestones: Liquid Crystal Display, 1968". IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ "The George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research". University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "George Heilmeier dies at 77; scientist helped develop LCD technology". Los Angeles Times. 5 May 2014.
- ^ "George Heilmeier dies; a principal developer of liquid-crystal display technology - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
- ^ G. Heilmeier, "Some Reflections on Innovation and Invention," Founders Award Lecture, National Academy of Engineering, Washington, D.C., as published in The Bridge, National Academy of Engineering, Winter 1992.
- ^ "The Heilmeier Catechism" at DARPA, https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/heilmeier-catechism
- ^ "John Scott Award Recipients 1991-2000". John Scott Award Advisory Committee. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
Further reading
- Oral history interview with George H. Heilmeier, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(1975–1977).
- IEEE biography
- Inamori Foundation biography