Marian Croak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dr.
Marian Croak
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Croak in 2017
|
|
| Born | May 14, 1955 New York, New York, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Princeton University University of Southern California |
| Employer | Google AT&T Bell Labs |
| Known for | Voice over IP |
Marian Rogers Croak (born May 14, 1955) is a famous American engineer. She is best known for inventing technology that lets people make phone calls over the internet. This is called Voice over IP, or VoIP.
She worked for many years at top technology companies like Bell Labs and AT&T. Today, she is a Vice President of Engineering at Google. Croak holds over 200 patents for her inventions. In 2022, she was honored for her work by being added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Marian Croak was born on May 14, 1955, and grew up in New York City. Her father sparked her interest in technology. Even though he didn't go to school for long, he built a chemistry set for her. This gift encouraged her to explore science.
As a child, Croak was fascinated by how things like plumbing and electricity worked. She always wanted to understand and fix systems that were broken. This curiosity shaped her future career. She later attended Princeton University and earned her PhD from the University of Southern California. Her education led her to a long and successful career at Bell Labs.
Career and Major Inventions
Croak began her career at Bell Labs in the Human Factors division. Her job was to study how technology could be used to help people. She started by working on early digital messaging apps. At the time, this was a brand new field.
Making Calls Over the Internet
At AT&T, Croak and her team worked on a groundbreaking idea. They wanted to send voice, text, and video using the internet instead of regular phone lines. This technology is now known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Her work on VoIP made things like video calls and online meetings possible. It changed how we communicate with people all over the world. Many of the digital networks we use every day are built on her inventions.
Texting to Help Others
Croak also invented the technology that lets people donate to charity by sending a text message. She developed this idea after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She saw a need for a quick and easy way for people to help during a disaster.
This invention revolutionized fundraising. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, people used her technology to donate over $43 million to help victims. For this important invention, she received the Thomas Edison Patent Award in 2013.
Leadership at Google
In 2014, Croak joined Google as a Vice President of Engineering. At Google, she works on making the internet better and more accessible to people in developing countries. She also leads a team focused on making sure Artificial Intelligence (AI) is developed in a responsible and ethical way.
Croak is a role model in her field. She works to encourage more women, young girls, and people from all backgrounds to pursue careers in engineering.
Awards and Recognition
Marian Croak's work has earned her many honors. In 2022, she was inducted into three major organizations: the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
When she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, she became one of the first two Black women to receive this honor. She has also won the Edison Patent Award twice, in 2013 and 2014.
Important Patents
A patent is an official document that gives an inventor the exclusive right to their invention. Croak has more than 200 patents. Nearly half of them are for her work on VoIP.
- VoIP Technology: Her patent for a "Method and apparatus for monitoring end-to-end performance in a network" is a key part of what makes VoIP work so well. This technology is essential for remote work and online conferencing today.
- Text-to-Donate: She also holds the patent for "Method and Apparatus for dynamically debiting a donation." This is the technology that allows you to text a donation and have it added to your phone bill.
Personal Life
Marian Croak has three adult children. She gives back to the community by serving on advisory boards. She is on the board for the engineering school at her alma mater, the University of Southern California. She has also been a board member for several other organizations that support technology and human rights.
See also
In Spanish: Marian Croak para niños
