Robert Metcalfe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Metcalfe
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Metcalfe in 2004
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Robert Melancton Metcalfe
April 7, 1946 New York City, U.S.
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| Spouse(s) | Robyn |
| Children | 2 |
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| Thesis | Packet Communication (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Jeffrey P. Buzen |
Robert "Bob" Melancton Metcalfe (born April 7, 1946) is an American engineer and business leader. He played a big part in creating the internet in the 1970s.
Bob Metcalfe helped invent Ethernet. This is a technology that connects computers together. He also started a company called 3Com. This company made equipment for computer networks. He also came up with Metcalfe's law. This law explains how a network becomes more useful as more people join it.
Metcalfe has received many important awards. These include the IEEE Medal of Honor and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. These awards recognized his work on Ethernet. In 2023, he won the Turing Award. This is the highest award in computer science. From 2011 to 2021, he taught about new ideas and business at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Robert Metcalfe's Early Life
Robert Metcalfe was born in 1946 in New York. His father was a technician who worked with gyroscopes. His mother was a homemaker who later became a secretary.
Metcalfe finished high school in 1964. He then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1969, he earned two degrees there. He studied electrical engineering and business. After MIT, he went to Harvard University. He earned a master's degree in math in 1970. In 1973, he got his PhD in computer science.
Robert Metcalfe and his wife, Robyn, have two children.
His Amazing Career
While studying for his PhD, Metcalfe worked at MIT's Project MAC. Harvard University did not let him connect their computers to the new ARPAnet. ARPAnet was an early version of the internet. At MIT, Metcalfe helped build the parts that linked MIT's computers to ARPAnet.
Metcalfe wrote his PhD paper about ARPAnet. Harvard first said no to his paper. He improved his paper while working at Xerox PARC. There, he learned about the ALOHA network in Hawaii. He found and fixed some problems with the AlohaNet idea. He added these fixes to his paper. Harvard then accepted it, and he got his PhD.
Inventing Ethernet
In 1973, Metcalfe was working at Xerox PARC. He and David Boggs invented Ethernet. It was a way to connect computers over short distances. Metcalfe remembered that Ethernet was created on May 22, 1973. On that day, he shared a memo called "Alto Ethernet." It showed a basic plan for how it would work.
Metcalfe explained that this was the first time the word "Ethernet" was used. It was also the first time they thought of using a coax cable like an "ether." Computers would send their data packets through it very fast. Sometimes, data would crash, and they would have to send it again. Boggs thought November 11, 1973, was the real birth of Ethernet. That was the first day the system actually worked.
Starting 3Com
In 1979, Metcalfe left PARC. He started 3Com in his apartment in Palo Alto. 3Com made equipment for computer networks. 3Com became a top company for networking solutions. Ethernet became the main way to connect computers in local area networks (LANs).
In 1980, Metcalfe received the Grace Murray Hopper Award. This was for his work on local networks, especially Ethernet. In 1990, he left 3Com. He then spent 10 years writing about the internet for a magazine called InfoWorld. In 1996, he helped start Pop!Tech. This was a conference about technology. In 2001, he became a venture capitalist. This means he invested in new companies.
From 2011 to 2021, he taught at the University of Texas at Austin. He focused on new ideas and businesses. In 2022, Metcalfe returned to MIT. He joined the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He now works with the MIT Julia Lab.
Awards and Honors
In 1996, Metcalfe won the IEEE Medal of Honor. This was for his great work in creating, setting standards for, and selling Ethernet. The next year, he joined the National Academy of Engineering. This was also for his work on Ethernet. In 2003, he received the National Medal of Technology. This was for his leadership in inventing and making Ethernet a standard. In October 2003, he won the Marconi Award. This was for inventing Ethernet and his network law.
Metcalfe was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007. This was for his work with Ethernet. In 2008, he received the Fellow Award from the Computer History Museum. This was for his important contributions to Ethernet.
In March 2023, Metcalfe won the 2022 Association for Computing Machinery's Turing Award. This was for his contributions to inventing Ethernet.
Predicting the Internet's Future
In 1995, Metcalfe made a bold prediction. He said the internet would "crash completely" the next year. He promised to "eat his words" if it didn't happen.
At a big internet conference in 1997, the internet was still working fine. So, Metcalfe kept his promise. He took a printed copy of his article that predicted the crash. He put it in a blender with some liquid. Then, he drank the pulpy mix! He had suggested having his words printed on a huge cake. But the audience wanted him to really "eat his words."
See also
In Spanish: Robert Metcalfe para niños
