Region 1 Milestone &
History Committee
Report
Nikolaos Golas
Region 1 Historian & Milestone Coordinator
n.golas@ieee.org
2013 Region 1 Summer Meeting
Hilton, Providence, RI 24 August 2013
IEEE Region 1 Milestone Report
2
•
IEEE Milestone Program is administered
thru IEEE History Center
•
Honors significant technical
achievements associated with IEEE
•
Milestones recognize technological
innovation & excellence for unique
products, services, papers and patents
Current Region 1 Milestones
Milestones in Early Stages
– Edwin Armstrong's Regenerative Radio Circuit at
Columbia University Labs in 1912 (New York
Section)
– Nikola Tesla Wardenclyffe Lab, 1901 in Shoreham,
NY (Long Island Section)
 Milestone Chair: Victor Zourides
– Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) Signaling,
1963 at AT&T, in Middletown, NJ (New Jersey
Coast Section/ComSoc)
3
Current Region 1 Milestones
Milestones in Early Stages
– American Standard Code for Information
Interchange (ASCII) Standard Development, 1963
at Alcatel-Lucent Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
(New Jersey Coast/ComSoc)
– 2013-15 Interactive Video Games (New Hampshire
Section)
 Proposer's Name: Jason Hui
4
Current Region 1 Milestones
Proposals Submitted Awaiting Advocate Approval
– 2011-03 Bell Laboratories, The First 60 Years
(New Jersey North Section)
There will be 4 citation plaques in order to provide space to list the
achievements:
BELL LABS - WIRELESS AND SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS, THE FIRST 60 YEARS
Citation: Between 1925 and 1984, Bell Labs researchers made numerous fundamental
contributions to wireless and satellite communications including the first radio
astronomical observations (1933), the Friis transmission formula (1946), the cellular
radio concept (1947), characterization of point-to-point microwave propagation
(1950's-70's), the first active communications satellite, Telstar (1962), the first
observation of the cosmic background radiation (1965) and the Advanced Mobile
Phone System, AMPS (1977).
BELL LABS - DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING AND COMPUTING, THE FIRST 60 YEARS
Citation: Between 1925 and 1984, Bell Labs researchers made numerous fundamental
contributions to digital signal processing and computing including the first electronic
speech synthesizer (1937), the Karnaugh map (1953), computer generated music
(1957), digital computer art (1962), the UNIX operating system (1969), the C
programming language (1970), the AWK programming language (1977), the first
single-chip 32-bit microprocessor (1980) and the C++ programming language (1983).
5
Current Region 1 Milestones
Proposals Submitted Awaiting Advocate Approval
– 2011-03 Bell Laboratories, The First 60 Years
(New Jersey Section) [CONTINUED]
BELL LABS - SOLID STATE AND OPTICAL DEVICES, THE FIRST 60 YEARS
Citation: Between 1925 and 1984, Bell Labs researchers made numerous fundamental
contributions to solid state and optical devices including the discovery of electron
diffraction (1927), the transistor (1947), zone refining (1951), the solar cell (1954),
theory of the laser (1958), the MOSFET (1959), the electret microphone (1962), the
CO2 laser (1964), molecular beam epitaxy (1968), the charge coupled device (1969),
modified chemical vapor deposition (1974) and the fractional quantum hall effect
(1982).
BELL LABS - COMMUNICATIONS THEORY AND NETWORKS, THE FIRST 60 YEARS
Citation: Between 1925 and 1984, Bell Labs researchers made numerous fundamental
contributions to communications theory and networks including the negative feedback
principle (1927), the theory of the one-time pad cipher (1945), Hamming codes
(1947), information theory (1948), modern cryptography (1949), the first transAtlantic telephone cable (1956), Direct Distance Dialing (1950's), the first
transcontinental microwave relay networks (1950s), greedy algorithms for network
design (1960s) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (1966).
6
Current Region 1 Milestones
Proposals Submitted Awaiting Advocate Approval
– 2007-08 Wireless Transmission between Fixed
Antenna and Moving Trains, 1913 [AKA Marconi
Tower] (Binghamton Section)
Citation: From this tower and others in Scranton, PA and
Hoboken, NJ, in November 1913, Marconi Wireless Telegraph
Company of America experiments on the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western Railroad showed that wireless
communication between fixed stations and railroad trains was
practical and reliable.
The experiments established that
ground stations could communicate with trains moving at
speeds up to sixty mph (100 km/h) over a range of 130 miles
(210 km).
7
Current Region 1 Milestones
Proposals Submitted Awaiting Advocate Approval
– 2013-21 First Blind Takeoff, Flight and Landing, [A
Joint IEEE Long Island Secton/American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Milestone]
DEDICATION DAY GOAL: Wed. Sept. 24th 2014, 85th
Anniversary of Event
Citation: On September 24, 1929, the first blind takeoff, flight and
landing occurred at Mitchel Field, Garden City, NY in a Consolidated
NY-2 biplane piloted by Lt. James Doolittle. Equipped with specially
designed radio and aeronautical instrumentation, it represented the
cooperative efforts of many organizations, mainly the Guggenheim
Fund’s Full Flight Laboratory, U.S. Army Air Corps, Dept. of
Commerce, Sperry Gyroscope Company, Kollsman Instrument
Company and Radio Frequency Laboratories.
8
Current Region 1 Milestones
Proposals Submitted Awaiting Advocate Approval
– 2013-07 Cruft High Tension Laboratory, Harvard
School of Engineering and Applied Science (Boston
Section)
Citation: Cruft Laboratory was designed in 1915 to support
research on radio antennas and storage batteries. During
WW1, a nation wide radio training school for military
personnel was established there. Special courses and text
books in communications engineering were created for naval
officers. During WW2, Cruft was dedicated to radar training for
the military. Cruft and adjacent laboratories were much more
than a place of learning by facilitating the work of GW Pierce,
El Chaffee and other researchers, who contributed greatly to
radio communications.
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Current Region 1 Milestones
Proposals Submitted Awaiting Advocate Approval
– Mark 1 Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator
(ASCC), 1943 to 1945 (Boston Section)
Citation: Developed by Harvard faculty member Howard
Aiken and IBM in the early 1940s, the massive machine was
originally called the ASCC (Automatic Sequence Controlled
Calculator). The Mark I is considered one of the first electromechanical computers ever created and represents a
fundamental milestone in the history of modern computing.
Software innovations designed by Grace Hooper were an
important part of the machine.
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Region 1 List of Achievements
Suitable for Milestones [1 – 10]
DATE, MILESTONE, PERSON(S), LOCATION, SECTION
1. 1828 Electric Motor, Henry, Albany, NY (Schenectady Section)
2. 1837 Practical Electric Motor, Davenport, Rutland, VT (Green Mountain
Section)
3. 1877 Dynamic Microphone, Curtis & Reddi, Boston, MA (Boston Section)
4. 1880 Contributions of Lewis Latimer, New York, NY (New York Section)
5. 1881 Commercial Music Over Wire, Cahill, Holyoke, MA, (Springfield
Section)
6. 1882 Commercial Electric Fan, Crocker & Curt, New York, NY (New York
Section)
7. 1882 Electric Iron, Seely, New York, NY (New York Section)
8. 1885 Mass Production of Edison Lamps, Thomson, Lynn, MA (Boston
Section)
9. 1888 AC Induction Motor, Tesla, New York, NY (New York Section)
10. 1888 Edward Weston Precision Meters, Newark, NJ, (North Jersey
Section)
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Region 1 List of Achievements
Suitable for Milestones [11 – 20]
DATE, MILESTONE, PERSON(S), LOCATION, SECTION
11. 1893 Coney Island Electric Escalator, Reno, Brooklyn, NY (New York
Section)
12. 1898 Wireless Power Transmission, Tesla, New York, NY (New York
Section)
13. 1899 Loading Coil, Pupin, AT&T, Region 1
14. 1901 Mercury Discharge Lamp, Cooper Hewit New York, NY (New York
Section)
15. 1902 Oscilloscope, Ryan, Ithaca, NY, (Ithaca Section)
16. 1906 Triode, De Forrest, New York, NY (New York Section)
17. 1907 Bell Labs founded Jewett, Cart, New York, NY (New York Section)
18. 1910 Tungsten Filament, Coolidge, Region 1
19. 1915 Radiotelephone Broadcast to Grand Fork, ND, Goldsmith, Sayville,
NY, (Long Island Section)
20. 1917 Superheterodyne, Armstrong, Columbia University, New York, NY
(New York Section)
12
Region 1 List of Achievements
Suitable for Milestones [21 – 30]
DATE, MILESTONE, PERSON(S), LOCATION, SECTION
21. 1918 Practical AC Clock, Warren, Ashland, MA (Boston Section)
22. 1919 Neutrodyne, Hazeltine, Hoboken, NJ, (North Jersey Section)
23. 1921 Magnetron, Hall, Schenectady, NY, (Schenectady Section)
24. 1924 Stereo Phonography, Keller, Bell Labs, NJ, (North Jersey Section)
25. 1925 Electrodynamic Loudspeaker, Numerous, Schenectady, NY,
(Schenectady Section)
26. 1925 Quartz Crystal Watch, Numerous, New York, NY (New York Section)
27. 1927 Differential Analyzer, Bush Cambridge, MA (Boston Section)
28. 1927 Negative Feedback Amp, Black, Bell Labs, NJ, (North Jersey
Section)
29. 1927 Technicolor, Kalmus et al, Cambridge, MA (Boston Section)
30. 1929 Coaxial Cable, Numerous, New York, NY (New York Section)
13
Region 1 List of Achievements
Suitable for Milestones [31 – 40]
DATE, MILESTONE, PERSON(S), LOCATION, SECTION
31. 1930 FM, Armstrong, Columbia University, New York, NY (New York
Section)
32. 1931 Electric Razor, Schick, Stamford, CT, (Connecticut Section)
33. 1935 IBM Mass-Production Electric Typewriter, Numerous, Endicott, NY,
(Binghamton Section)
34. 1938 Xerography, Carlson, New York, NY (New York Section)
35. 1941 Grandpa's Knob Wind Turbine, Putnam Grandpa's Knob, VT (Green
Mountain Section)
36. 1941 Two-phase PHK Modulator Carrier System, Millar, Watermill, NY,
(Long Island Section)
37. 1943 IBM Mark I, Numerous, Endicott, NY, (Binghamton Section)
38. 1946 Project Diana (ASC Electronics), Numerous, Wall, NJ, (New Jersey
Coast Section)
39. 1948 Information Theory, Shannon, Bell Labs, NJ, (North Jersey Section)
40. 1948 LP Goldmark, CBS Laboratories, New York, NY (New York Section)
14
Region 1 List of Achievements
Suitable for Milestones [41 – 50]
DATE, MILESTONE, PERSON(S), LOCATION, SECTION
41. 1951 Junction Transistor, Shockley, Murray Hill, NJ, (North Jersey
Section)
42. 1952 Cinerama, Numerous, New York, NY (New York Section)
43. 1952 Compiler, Hopper, Harvard, Cambridge, MA (Boston Section)
44. 1952 Magnetic Core Memory, Wang, Harvard, MA (Boston Section)
45. 1954 Electronic Music Synthesizer, Olsen, New York, NY (New York
Section)
46. 1954 MASER, Townes et al, Bell Labs, NJ, (North Jersey Section)
47. 1955 Development of B-52 Fire-control System, Arma Corp, Garden City,
NY, (Long Island Section)
48. 1956 Invention of the PROM , Wen Tsing Chow, Garden City, NY, (Long
Island Section)
49. 1956 FORTRAN Language, Backus, New York, NY (New York Section)
50. 1958 Pioneering Video Game, Higginbotham, Brookhaven, NY, (Long
Island Section)
15
Region 1 List of Achievements
Suitable for Milestones [51 – 60]
DATE, MILESTONE, PERSON(S), LOCATION, SECTION
51. 1962 GE LED, Numerous, Syracuse, NY, (Syracuse Section)
52. 1962 Implantable Pacemaker, Greatbach-Clarence, Buffalo, NY (Buffalo
Section)
53. 1962 Unimation Industrial Robot, Numerous, Danbury, CT, (Connecticut
Section)
54. 1964 BASIC, Kurtz, Hanover, NH, (New Hampshire Section)
55. 1964 IBM 360, Numerous, Endicott, NY, (Binghamton Section)
56. 1964 Voltage-Controlled Music Synthesizer, Moog, Trumansburg, NY,
(Ithaca Section)
57. 1965 PDP-8, Numerous, Boston, MA (Boston Section)
58. 1968 First Microprocessor in Grumman's F-14 Tom Cat, Geller/Holt,
Calverton, NY, (Long Island Section)
59. 1973 Development of MRI/NMR, Lauterbur, Stony Brook, NY, (Long
Island Section)
60. 1974 First PCs (Scelbi-8H, Mark-8) Englewood, NJ, (North Jersey Section)
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Region 1 List of Achievements
Suitable for Milestones - Summation
16 out of the 22 Region 1 Sections are
represented in List
List Available at Global History Network (GHN)
at:
http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/List_o
f_Achievements_Suitable_for_Milestones
17
Region 1 IEEE Milestones
Distribution by Section
Section Name
Boston Section
North Jersey Section
Princeton / Central Jersey Section
Connecticut Section
New York Section
Berkshire Section
Buffalo Section
Long Island Section
Maine Section
Rochester Section
Schenectady Section
Worcester County Section
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# of
Milestones
10
4
4
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Region 1 IEEE Milestones Distribution
by Section - Statistics
Region 1 has 29 IEEE Milestones out of the
132 dedicated: 22%
Boston Section leads all Region 1-7 IEEE
Sections with 10 IEEE Milestones
13 out of the 22 Region 1 Sections have at
least one IEEE Milestone
19
Milestone Dedication Ceremony
Planning Checklist
Detailed checklist available online at the
Region 1 website
20
Future Milestones?
Are any other Sections working on
Milestone nominations?
Please contact me if you need help with
your Milestone nomination.
21
Celebrating Section Anniversaries in 2013
Boston Section:
Founded: 2/13/1903
110th Anniversary
Long Island Section:
Founded: 5/6/1953
60th Anniversary
Mohawk Valley Section:
 Founded: 1/1/1953
 60th Anniversary
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Celebrating Section Anniversaries in 2013
New Hampshire Section:
 Founded: 9/3/1953
 60th Anniversary
Schenectady Section:
 Founded: 1/26/1903
 110th Anniversary
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Celebrating Section Anniversaries in 2014
Berkshire Section:
Founded: 3/25/1904
110th Anniversary
New York Section:
 Founded: 12/10/1919
 95th Anniversary
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Celebrating Section Anniversaries in 2014
North Jersey Section:
Founded: 5/5/1954
60th Anniversary
Rochester Section:
 Founded: 10/9/1914
 100th Anniversary
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How to Celebrate Section Anniversaries
Announce Anniversary to all Section members
Plan special Anniversary event or combine with
Section annual meeting
If special Anniversary event try to invite
members, spouse or family
Develop brochure identifying Section
achievements and recognize past Chairs or
members
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Historical Milestones
Detailed Process
27
IEEE Region 1 Milestone Details
IEEE Milestone Program is an IEEE
History Committee Program administered
thru IEEE History Center.
• Honors significant technical
achievements associated with IEEE.
• Milestones recognize technological
innovation & excellence for the benefit of
humanity found in unique products,
services, papers and patents.
•
28
IEEE Milestone Program
IEEE established Milestone Program in
1983 in conjunction with 1984
Centennial Celebration.
Each milestone recognizes a significant
technical achievement that occurred 25
years ago in an area of technology
represented in IEEE with regional
impact.
29
IEEE Milestone Program
Milestones are proposed, nominated
and sponsored by organizational units
such as Sections, Societies or Chapters.
A milestone must be submitted to the
IEEE History Committee for review and
recommendation.
After approval by the IEEE Board of
Directors, a bronze plaque is awarded.
The plaque is placed at an appropriate
site with a dedication ceremony.
30
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
General requirements
Submitting a milestone proposal
Review of proposal
Submission of nomination
Review of nomination
Approval of Board of Directors
Notification of approval
Casting of the plaque
Dedication Ceremony
31
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
General Requirements
– Milestones recognize an achievement
not a person or a place.
– An achievement must be 25 years old &
must have regional importance.
– The IEEE Global History Network website
lists all the requirements.
– http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/
Milestones:Proposing_a_Milestone
32
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
Milestone submissions
– Two step process: milestone proposal followed by a
nomination.
– Any IEEE member can submit a proposal, but the
proposal must be sponsored by the organization unit.
– The OU pays for the dedication ceremony & plaque.
– Typical time frame from submission of proposal to
dedication of milestone is between 9 and 15 months.
– Proposed milestones are submitted thru the IEEE
Global History Network & evaluated by the IEEE History
Committee (IHC).
– IHC, when appropriate recommends approval by IEEE
Board of Directors.
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Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
Proposal Review
– Milestone Coordinator of IEEE History
Committee appoints an advocate, who is
responsible for reviewing the proposal &
determining the significance of the
proposed milestone.
– If approved the proposers are invited to
submit a detailed nomination with
supporting documentation.
34
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
Submission of Nomination
– Milestone administrator & advocate assist OU in
completion of nomination.
– Supporting material, with appropriate references
must be in English & submitted in electronic format.
– A draft citation describing the achievement must also
be submitted.
– The History Committee has the final decision on
wording of citation.
– Nomination must be submitted within 6 months of
the issue of invitation.
35
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
Nomination Review
– Within 3 months of receipt the advocate
evaluates the documentation &
recommends whether to approve or reject
the nomination.
Approval of Board of Directors
– The IEEE History Committee prepares the
final review & evaluation of the proposed
milestone to determine recommendation for
approval by Board of Directors.
36
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
Notification of Approval
– Milestone administrator notifies the
organizational unit when the IEEE
History Committee recommends
approval of the milestone to B of D.
– If milestone is approved administrator
completes arrangements for payment of
plaque & suggests guidelines for
dedication ceremony.
37
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
Casting of Plaque
– The milestone plaque will be cast &
delivered to the OU within 2 months of
receipt of payment by the History Center.
– Cost of Plaque is $835.00 plus approx.
$70.00 for shipping.
– Each plaque is 18” x 12” x 1-1/4”, is
made of bronze and weighs 21 lbs.
38
Guidelines for Organizing
Milestones
Dedication Ceremony
– Organizational units are responsible for
developing & planning the dedication
ceremony.
– Ceremony requires several months
advance planning & should include 8
weeks for delivery of the plaque.
– Copies of the guidelines for organizing
the dedication ceremony will be handed
out.
39
IEEE Region 1 History Report
IEEE History Committee has been advising the
IEEE Board of Directors on matters of legacy &
heritage of IEEE and its members & their
related professions & technologies since IEEE’s
inception.
In 1980 IEEE established the IEEE History
Center to be the staff arm of the History
Committee.
IEEE’s historical activities are carried out by
the staff of the History Center, under the
guidance of the History Committee.
40
IEEE History Center
Mission of History Center is to preserve,
research and promote the history of
information and electrical technologies.
Center maintains resources for the engineer,
historian of technology and anyone interested
in the development of electrical & computer
engineering & their role in modern society.
The History Center is part of IEEE Corporate
Activities & is co-sponsored by Rutgers Univ.,
History Dept. School of Arts & Sciences.
Most of the Center’s resources are available
online at the IEEE Global History Network.
41
IEEE Global History Network
The Global History Network is a new website
of the IEEE History Center dedicated to the
histories of IEEE, its members and their
professions & technologies.
– http://www.ieeeghn.org
GHN is wiki-based but restricted to IEEE
members, technical authorities and
professional historians.
GHN empowers IEEE members to collaborate
in documenting the histories of their
organizational units.
42
IEEE Region 1 History
Richard Ackley, a previous Region 1 Historian
prepared an historic overview of Region 1 and
our history of electro technology including a
brief history of each Section in Region 1.
This is a living document and I encourage each
Section Chair or Section Historian to provide
current and past Section history to be included
in our Region 1 History Archives.
Please send your Section history information /
documents in electronic format to:
n.golas@ieee.org
43
For additional information
please contact me:
Nikolaos Golas
Region 1 Historian & Milestone
Coordinator
n.golas@ieee.org
44