George E. Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George E. Smith
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Smith in 2009
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| Born | May 10, 1930 White Plains, New York, U.S.
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| Died | May 28, 2025 (aged 95) |
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| Known for | Charge-coupled device |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied physics |
| Institutions | Bell Labs |
| Thesis | The Anomalous Skin Effect in Bismuth (1959) |
| Doctoral advisor | E.A. Long |
George Elwood Smith was a brilliant American scientist. He was born on May 10, 1930, and passed away on May 28, 2025. He is famous for helping to invent the charge-coupled device (CCD). This amazing invention earned him a share of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics. The CCD is like an "electronic eye" that changed photography and how we see the world.
Contents
Early Life and Education
George Smith was born in White Plains, New York. He served in the US Navy before going to college. He earned his first degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. Later, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1959. His Ph.D. paper was very short, only eight pages long!
A Career at Bell Labs
Smith worked at Bell Labs in New Jersey from 1959 until he retired in 1986. At Bell Labs, he led important research on new types of lasers and tiny electronic devices. He received many patents for his inventions. Eventually, he became the head of the department that worked on VLSI devices.
Inventing the CCD
In 1969, George Smith and Willard Boyle invented the charge-coupled device (CCD). This invention was a huge step forward for technology. For their work, they received several major awards together.
Awards for the CCD
- The Franklin Institute's Stuart Ballantine Medal in 1973.
- The 1974 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award.
- The 2006 Charles Stark Draper Prize.
- The 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The Nobel Prize recognized the CCD as an "imaging semiconductor circuit." It truly became an "electronic eye" used in almost all areas of photography and digital imaging.
Life After Retirement
Both George Smith and Willard Boyle loved sailing. They went on many sailing trips together. After retiring, Smith sailed around the world for seventeen years with his life partner, Janet. He stopped sailing in 2003 because he felt his "creaky bones" couldn't handle more storms. He lived in Waretown, New Jersey.
Recognition and Legacy
In 2015, Smith received the Progress Medal and an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society. He was also a member of several important scientific groups. These included Pi Mu Epsilon, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi. He was also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Physical Society. He was also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
In 2017, Smith was one of four winners of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. This award recognized his vital contribution to creating digital imaging sensors.
George Smith passed away at his home in Barnegat Township, New Jersey, on May 28, 2025. He was 95 years old. His invention, the CCD, continues to be a key part of digital cameras, camcorders, and even telescopes today.
See also
In Spanish: George E. Smith para niños
