technology 24 for you: Codeveloper of Ethernet Predecessor Dies at 91

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/black-and-white-photograph-of-a-young-asian-man-in-a-suit-and-tie.jpg?id=67750969&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C187%2C0%2C188"/> Franklin “Frank” KuoCodeveloper of ALOHAnetFellow, 91; died 14 AprilKuo helped develop <a href="https://www.comsoc.org/node/19511" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ALOHAnet</a>, a pioneering computer system at the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Hawaii at Mānoa</a>, in Honolulu. The system went online in 1971 and represented the first public demonstration of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wireless packet data network</a>. It was an inspiration for <a href="https://ethw.org/Oral-History:Robert_Metcalfe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Robert Metcalfe</a>’s development of <a href="https://ethw.org/Milestones:Ethernet_Local_Area_Network_(LAN),_1973-1985" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ethernet</a> a couple of years later. In 2020 ALOHAnet was designated as an <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/alohanet-introduced-random-access-protocols-to-the-computing-world" target="_self">IEEE Milestone</a>.Kuo earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from the <a href="https://illinois.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Illinois</a>, Urbana-Champaign. After earning his Ph.D. in 1960, he joined <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bell Labs in Murray Hill, N.J.</a>, where he conducted research in computer communications.After six years at the company, Kuo left to become a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Hawaii. From 1968 to 1971 he and one of his colleagues, IEEE Life Fellow <a href="https://ethw.org/Norman_Abramson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Norman Abramson</a>, developed ALOHAnet. The network connected computers on Hawaiian islands using ultrahigh-frequency radio, transmitting information over radio waves instead of cables.ALOHAnet became the foundation for modern networks. Kuo pioneered the concept of a random-access protocol, or sharing a single channel without central coordination—which led to the packet-switching principles that underpin modern Wi-Fi and mobile networks.Kuo authored or coauthored several books including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Communication-Networks-Nato-Science/dp/9401175829" target="_blank">Computer Communication Networks</a>. Published in 1972, it was one of the earliest textbooks on the subject.He served as director of the university’s <a href="https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/co/1973/06/06536796/1hJr8eqhITC" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cosine committee</a>, a project funded by the U.S. <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Science Foundation</a> to develop computer engineering courses.He took a sabbatical from 1975 to 1977 to work at the U.S. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pentagon</a> as director of information systems in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Secretary_of_Defense" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">defense secretary’s office</a>. He oversaw computer communications applications used in command, control, and intelligence programs.During the 1980s and ’90s, he helped develop China’s Internet. In 1982 he joined <a href="https://www.sri.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SRI International</a> (formerly the Stanford Research Institute), in Menlo Park, Calif., as a researcher. He also was a consulting professor in <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stanford</a>’s electrical engineering department and taught computer networking at <a href="https://en.sjtu.edu.cn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shanghai Jiao Tong University</a>.As a <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNESCO</a> lecturer in Beijing in 1994, he helped <a href="https://english.pku.edu.cn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Peking University</a>, <a href="https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tsinghua University</a>, and the <a href="https://english.cas.cn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> connect to the Internet. He also worked with Tsinghua University to develop <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERNET" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CERNET</a>, the country’s first nationwide education and research <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">computer network</a>, which was managed by the Chinese <a href="https://www.chea.org/international-directory/ministry-education-peoples-republic-china" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ministry of Education</a>. For his work, he received an honorary degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.In the mid-1990s, Kuo helped found General Wireless Communications, a developer of mobile phone messaging services and games that was renamed Mtone Wireless.Muhammad Rezaul KarimBell Labs researcherLife senior member, 86; died 18 MayKarim was a distinguished member of the technical staff at <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/7-bell-labs-ieee-milestones" target="_blank">Bell Labs</a> in Murray Hill, N.J. His work was instrumental in the development of modern cellular communications technology.He joined Bell Labs in 1972 and worked in its mobile telecommunications laboratory as part of the team tasked with creating one of the earliest cellular networks.In 1975 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Bell" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Illinois Bell Telephone</a> petitioned the U.S. <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Federal Communications Commission</a> to develop and test a cellular system. The FCC, which now regulates radio, TV, telephone, Internet, satellite, and wireless services, authorized the project in March 1977. Karim and his team helped develop key elements of the technology, including the Bell Labs logic that controlled the cellular system, turning the concept into a working one. They also built radio receivers, transmitters, control systems, and cell-site equipment used in the first trial of the cellular system.The following year, Bell Labs and Illinois Bell deployed the Advanced Mobile Phone Service system across Chicago, with its switching office located in Oak Park, Ill. The initial test used approximately 100 mobile phones to work through hardware, software, and system-design problems.A subsequent test in 1979 involved 2,500 mobile users, providing a demonstration of the cellular technology in practice.The trials in Illinois helped establish the technical foundation for the commercial cellular networks that followed.Later in his career, Karim worked on the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technique, a high-speed networking technology crucial to the transition from traditional telephone networks to broadband and digital ones.In 2000 he published <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0130851221?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ATM Networks: Application, Systems, and Design</a>, a textbook that served as a guide for designing and implementing ATM-based services.Karim received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the <a href="https://www.buet.ac.bd/web/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology</a>, in Dhaka. He then earned a master’s degree in EE from the <a href="https://www.manchester.ac.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Manchester</a>, England, and a Ph.D. in EE from <a href="https://www.stevens.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stevens Institute of Technology</a>, in Hoboken, N.J.Harry BosticFormer IEEE Region 4 directorLife senior member, 86; died 18 MarchBostic was an active IEEE volunteer who served as the 1998–1999 director of <a href="https://r4.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Region 4</a>. In 2007 he received a <a href="https://ieeecentralindiana.org/reporter/TheReporter2007-02.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lifetime achievement award</a> from the <a href="https://ieeecentralindiana.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Central Indiana Section</a> for “outstanding commitment and dedicated service as regional advisor to the volunteers and members of Region 4 and the Institute.”He was an engineer for 30 years at U.S. Navy’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Warfare_Center,_Indianapolis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">avionics facility</a>, a research, development, and manufacturing concern in Indianapolis. He worked on flight control, navigation, and weapons systems there. (The facility closed in 1996.)Edwin C. Jones Jr.ProfessorLife Fellow, 91; died 10 March<a href="https://ethw.org/First-Hand:Edwin_C._Jones,_Jr." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jones</a> was widely recognized for his contributions to engineering education, curriculum development, and accreditation through decades of service to IEEE, <a href="https://www.abet.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ABET</a>, and the <a href="https://www.asee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American Society for Engineering Education</a>.He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1955 from <a href="https://www.wvu.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">West Virginia University</a> in Morgantown. The following year he earned a diploma of membership (equivalent to a master’s degree) from <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Imperial College</a>, London. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army <a href="https://www.armyheritage.org/soldier-stories-information/keeping-the-lines-open-the-united-states-army-signal-corps/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Signal Corps</a> for two years. After his service ended, he studied engineering education at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign</a>, earning a Ph.D. in 1961. Jones then joined the university’s faculty.The following year, he left Illinois to join <a href="https://www.iastate.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Iowa State University</a>, in Ames, as an assistant professor. He was promoted to professor in 1995. Two years later he became associate chair of the <a href="https://www.ece.iastate.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">electrical and computer engineering department</a> and served in that position until 2001, when he retired and was named professor emeritus. In recognition of his commitment to students, Iowa State established a <a href="https://iastate.academicworks.com/?page=30" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scholarship</a> in his honor.In 2006 he accepted a part-time position as an adjunct professor in Minnesota at the <a href="https://www.stthomas.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of St. Thomas</a>, in St. Paul. He advised graduate students and helped develop the university’s systems engineering program.An active IEEE volunteer, he served as 1975–1976 president of the <a href="https://ieee-edusociety.org/home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Education Society</a>. He was a member of the <a href="https://www.ieee.org/education/eab" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Educational Activities Board</a>, helping strengthen the relationship among engineering education, professional practice, and accreditation organizations. He received an IEEE Centennial Medal in 1984 and the EAB <a href="https://www.ieee.org/education/awards/accreditation-activities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meritorious Achievement Award in Accreditation Activities</a> in 1986. The IEEE Education Society later named its <a href="https://ieee-edusociety.org/award/society-award/edwin-c-jones-jr-meritorious-service-award" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meritorious Service Award</a> in his honor.Jones was elected a Fellow of ABET in 1986. During his years of service as a program evaluator and leader, he helped advance the quality of engineering education and accreditation programs. ABET recognized him with its <a href="https://www.abet.org/awards/linton-e-grinter-distinguished-service-award/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grinter Distinguished Service Award</a>, its highest honor.Alexander Robert SpitzerClinical neurology researcherLife senior member, 70; died 27 FebruarySpitzer was a neurologist for 40 years at the <a href="https://www.med.wayne.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wayne State University School of Medicine</a>, in Detroit, where he also was a director of the electromyography laboratory at <a href="https://www.dmc.org/locations/detail/dmc-harper-university-hospital" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harper University Hospital</a>. The lab studied patients’ brain and spinal cord activity in response to sensory stimuli. The evaluations assessed nerve pathway integrity to help diagnose multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and other conditions.After earning his medical degree from the <a href="https://einsteinmed.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Einstein College of Medicine</a>, in New York City, Spitzer completed a fellowship at the U.S. <a href="https://www.nih.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Institutes of Health</a>, in Bethesda, Md. He then joined Wayne State as a clinical neurology researcher. His pioneering research in applying neural network analysis to electromyography and clinical neurophysiology resulted in peer-reviewed publications, grants, and several U.S. patents.He mentored generations of neurologists in electrodiagnostic medicine, a medical specialty that uses nerve-conduction and electromyography tests to evaluate and diagnose muscle and nerve disorders.In 2020 he founded <a href="https://www.mackinacislandnews.com/articles/mackinac-neurology-opens-provides-new-option-for-medical-care/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mackinac Neurology</a>, a telemedicine-based practice that treated patients virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.A longtime IEEE volunteer, he held numerous roles on the IEEE Regional Activities Board, now known as the <a href="https://www.ieee.org/communities/geographic-activities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Member and Geographic Activities Board</a>. He was a member of the IEEE <a href="https://www.ieee.org/about/ethics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ethics and Member Conduct</a> and <a href="https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/nominations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nominations and Appointments</a> committees, as well as the <a href="https://www.ieee.org/education/eab" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Educational Activities</a> and <a href="https://ieeeusa.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE-USA</a> boards. He served as 1977–1979 director of the <a href="https://ieeecentralindiana.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Central Indiana Section</a>.Donald Leo DietmeyerProfessorLife Fellow, 93; died 13 FebruaryDietmeyer was a professor of electrical and computer engineering for 40 years at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>.He developed a lifelong interest in radio and electronics at high school in Wausau, Wisc., and earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1959 from the University of Wisconsin. He’d joined the university’s electrical engineering faculty as a professor in 1958 while pursuing his doctorate.Dietmeyer’s research focused on computer-aided design in the areas of switching theory, hardware description languages, and the decomposition of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_functions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Boolean functions</a>. His research contributed to the development of automation tools for integrated circuit design.He worked with Jim Duley, a former student, to pioneer the use of the <a href="https://www.computer.org/csdl/journal/tc/1968/09/01687472/13rRUyoPSVK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">digital system design language</a>. He wrote the textbook <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Design-Digital-Systems-Donald-Dietmeyer/dp/0205112943" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Logic Design of Digital Systems</a>, published in 1978.In the early 1980s, Dietmeyer worked with researchers to develop ConLan, a language-construction method that combined hardware description languages in one underlying framework.He served as associate dean of the University of Wisconsin’s electrical and computer engineering department from 1983 to 1995. In 1998 he retired and was named professor emeritus. Reference: https://ift.tt/c7aW6wu

technology 24 for you

Thursday, September 10, 2026

Codeveloper of Ethernet Predecessor Dies at 91

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Codeveloper of Ethernet Predecessor Dies at 91