Andrew Viterbi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew J. Viterbi
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| Born |
Andrea Giacomo Viterbi
March 9, 1935 Bergamo, Italy
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| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MS) University of Southern California (PhD) |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse(s) |
Erna Finci
(m. 1958; died 2015) |
| Children | 3 |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Electrical |
| Institutions | University of Southern California Board of Trustees The Scripps Research Institute Board of Trustees, Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute |
| Employer(s) | Professor: UC Los Angeles UC San Diego Founder/Co-founder: Linkabit Corporation Qualcomm Inc. The Viterbi Group |
| Projects | Viterbi algorithm |
| Significant advance | Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) standard for cell phone networks |
| Awards | IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (1984) Marconi Prize (1990) Claude E. Shannon Award (1991) Wireless Hall of Fame (2000) National Medal of Science (2007) IEEE/RSE James Clerk Maxwell Medal (2007) Millennium Technology Prize (2008) IEEE Medal of Honor (2010) John Fritz Medal (2011) |
Andrew James Viterbi, born Andrea Giacomo Viterbi on March 9, 1935, is a brilliant electrical engineer and businessman. He helped start a big company called Qualcomm Inc. and created something very important called the Viterbi algorithm. A school at the University of Southern California, the Viterbi School of Engineering, is named after him because of a generous gift he made.
Contents
Early Life
Andrew Viterbi was born in Bergamo, Italy. His family was Italian Jewish. They moved to the United States when he was very young, before World War II. His first name was Andrea, but it was changed to Andrew when his family became US citizens.
Education and Early Work
Andrew went to the Boston Latin School. In 1952, he started studying electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from MIT in 1957.
After MIT, he worked at Raytheon and then at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At JPL, he helped develop telemetry systems for uncrewed space missions. He also worked on the phase-locked loop, which is used in many electronic devices. While working, he also studied for his PhD at the University of Southern California. He finished his PhD in 1963, focusing on digital communications.
Amazing Career and Inventions
After getting his PhD, Andrew Viterbi became a professor of electrical engineering. He taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
The Viterbi Algorithm
In 1967, he created the Viterbi algorithm. This algorithm helps decode information that has been sent through noisy channels. It's like a special code-breaker! Today, this algorithm is used everywhere. It helps your cellular phones work by fixing errors in signals. It's also used in speech recognition, DNA analysis, and many other cool technologies.
Helping Cell Phones Work
Andrew Viterbi also played a key role in developing Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). CDMA is a special way for many people to use the same cell phone network at the same time. It made modern cell phone communication possible!
Starting Companies
In 1968, Andrew Viterbi co-founded Linkabit Corporation with Irwin M. Jacobs. This company worked on telecommunications. Later, in 1985, he and Irwin Jacobs also co-founded Qualcomm Inc.. Qualcomm became a very successful company known for its wireless technology. Andrew Viterbi also leads a company called The Viterbi Group. He continues to advise companies in wireless communications.
Awards and Honors
Andrew Viterbi has received many important awards for his work.
- In 1978, he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
- In 2000, he was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame.
- In 2004, the University of Southern California renamed its engineering school the Viterbi School of Engineering in his honor. This was after he made a very generous donation to the school.
- In 2008, he was a finalist for the Millennium Technology Prize for the Viterbi algorithm.
- He received the National Medal of Science in 2008 for his work on the Viterbi algorithm and CDMA.
- In 2010, he received the IEEE Medal of Honor, one of the highest awards in engineering.
- In 2013, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- In 2017, he and Irwin Jacobs received the IEEE Milestone Award for their work on CDMA.
Personal Life
Andrew Viterbi was married to Erna Finci, who passed away in 2015. Erna's family had to flee their home in Sarajevo during World War II to escape danger. They were helped by kind people in Italy and Switzerland, who kept them safe during the war.
Andrew and Erna had three children: Alan, Audrey, and Alexander. Alan Viterbi served on the first city council of West Hollywood. Audrey Viterbi became a professor at UC Irvine.
See also
In Spanish: Andrew Viterbi para niños
- List of International Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering
- Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research
