Carver Mead

Carver Mead
Mead in 2002
Born
Carver Andress Mead

(1934-05-01) May 1, 1934 (age 90)
Bakersfield, California, U.S.
AwardsKyoto Prize (2022)
National Medal of Technology
2011 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
Computer History Museum Fellow (2002)
Scientific career
ThesisTransistor Switching Analysis (1960)
Doctoral advisorR. D. Middlebrook
Robert V. Langmuir
Doctoral studentsKwabena Boahen
External videos
video icon Carver Mead, Winner of 1999 Lemelson-MIT Prize, Lemelson Foundation
video icon Carver Mead – Semiconductors, April 17, 2014, The Official ACM
video icon Carver Mead presents The Universe and Us: An Integrated Theory of Electromagnetics and Gravitation, TTI/Vanguard

Carver Andress Mead (born 1 May 1934) is an American scientist and engineer. He currently holds the position of Gordon and Betty Moore Professor Emeritus of Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), having taught there for over 40 years.[1]

A pioneer of modern microelectronics, Mead has made contributions to the development and design of semiconductors, digital chips, and silicon compilers, technologies which form the foundations of modern very-large-scale integration chip design. Mead has also been involved in the founding of more than 20 companies.[2]

In the 1980s, Mead focused on electronic modeling of human neurology and biology, creating "neuromorphic electronic systems."[3][4][5] Most recently, he has called for the reconceptualization of modern physics, revisiting the theoretical debates of Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein and others in light of later experiments and developments in instrumentation.[6]

Mead's contributions as a teacher include the classic textbook Introduction to VLSI Systems (1980), which he coauthored with Lynn Conway. He also taught Deborah Chung, the first female engineering graduate of Caltech,[7] and advised Louise Kirkbride, the school's first female electrical engineering student.[8][9]

  1. ^ "Carver Mead 2002 Fellow". Computer History Museum. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bush2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Furber, Steve (2016). "Large-scale neuromorphic computing systems". Journal of Neural Engineering. 13 (5): 051001. Bibcode:2016JNEng..13e1001F. doi:10.1088/1741-2560/13/5/051001. PMID 27529195. Open access icon
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Newell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Marcus, Gary (November 20, 2012). "The Brain in the Machine". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Spectator2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Forty-Five Years Since Their Graduation, Three of Caltech's First Female BS Recipients Look Back". Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lifer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Louise Kirkbride | Lemelson". lemelson.mit.edu. Retrieved December 1, 2021.