Tingye Li facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tingye Li
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| Born | July 7, 1931 Nanjing, Republic of China
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| Died | December 27, 2012 (aged 81) Snowbird, Utah, United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of the Witwatersrand Northwestern University |
| Awards | IEEE Baker Prize (1975) OSA Frederic Ives Medal (1997) IEEE Photonics Award (2004) IEEE Edison Medal (2009) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied physics, Optical communication |
| Institutions | AT&T |
Tingye Li (simplified Chinese: 厉鼎毅; traditional Chinese: 厲鼎毅; pinyin: Lì Dǐngyì; July 7, 1931 – December 27, 2012) was a brilliant Chinese-American scientist. He made huge advancements in the fields of microwaves, lasers, and how we send information using light. His amazing work at AT&T helped create the way we use light to communicate. This has changed how we use technology for over 40 years!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tingye Li was born on July 7, 1931, in Nanjing, China. He was the oldest son of a diplomat, which is someone who represents their country in other nations. His father worked for the Chinese government and was an ambassador in several countries. When Tingye was 12, his family moved from China to Canada to be with his father. Later, they lived in South Africa before finally settling in the United States.
Tingye earned his first degree in electrical engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He then got his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in the U.S.
Career at AT&T Bell Labs
After finishing his studies in 1957, Tingye Li started working at Bell Telephone Laboratories, which later became AT&T Bell Laboratories. He worked there for 41 years until he retired in 1998. During his time at AT&T, he wrote many important papers, received patents, and wrote books about antennas, microwaves, lasers, and optical communications.
Pioneering Laser Research
In 1961, Tingye Li and his friend A. Gardner Fox published a very important paper. They showed how a laser beam, bouncing between mirrors, could create different patterns of light. This was a huge discovery! It helped explain how lasers work and is now a basic idea in laser science. Their work used early computer simulations to get their information.
Innovations in Lightwave Technology
From the late 1960s, Tingye Li started working on new lightwave technologies. These are now used everywhere in the telecommunications industry, which is how we communicate over long distances.
In the late 1980s, most people were focused on sending information very fast using a single light channel. But Tingye Li and his team had a different idea. They developed the world's first system that could send many different light signals at once through a single fiber. This is called wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM).
They also realized that new technology needs to work with old technology. So, they suggested using optical amplifiers in WDM systems. These amplifiers boost the light signals, allowing more information to be sent through existing fibers. In 1992, their experiment in Roaring Creek was a huge success. It allowed them to send information at 2.5 gigabits per second per channel, which was the fastest at the time! Using optical amplifiers completely changed how networks were built and how much they cost. It was a revolutionary step in lightwave communications.
Leadership and Recognition
Tingye Li was very active in many scientific groups. He helped start many conferences about optical communication and was often asked to give important speeches. Because of his great work and helpful spirit, he was chosen to be the President of the Optical Society of America (OSA) in 1995. He was also a member of important academies like the National Academy of Engineering in the U.S., the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
| Division | Position | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Radio Research Department | Researcher | 1957–1967 |
| Repeater Techniques Research Department | Director | 1967–1976 |
| Lightwave Media Research Department | Director | 1976–1984 |
| Lightwave Systems Research Department | Director | 1984–1996 |
| AT&T Labs-Research, Communications Infrastructure Research Laboratory |
Division Manager | 1996–1998 |
| AT&T | Consultant | 1999–2002 |
Family and Heritage
Tingye Li's father, Chao Li, worked for the Chinese government for many years. His mother, Lily Hsieh, was an activist who supported women's rights in China. His father-in-law, K. C. Wu, was an important figure in China's modern history.
Dr. Li also helped a lot with the growth of optical communication in China. He helped scientists from the U.S. and China share ideas and technology. He brought many world-class experts to China to teach about the newest optical communication technology. Thanks to his efforts, research and use of optical communication in China have grown a lot in the last 30 years. He was given honorary professor titles at many top universities in China and Taiwan. He was also the very first foreign member elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
His Approach to Science
Tingye Li believed that when you create new parts for technology, you must understand how they will be used in bigger systems and how much they will cost. This idea was clear when he introduced optical amplifiers for WDM systems, which made it easier for companies to upgrade their networks. He also helped many younger scientists and was known to many as "Uncle Tingye."
Li was known for making even serious technical talks fun. For example, he once gave a talk called "Crouching Technologies and Hidden Profits," which was a clever play on the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
He also had some famous sayings:
- "Photonics is a 40-year overnight success."
- "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
- "I only hire people smarter than I."
- "Good physicists upgrade themselves into system engineers."
Personal Life
Dr. Tingye Li lived with his wife, Edith Wu, in Boulder, Colorado. He also worked as an independent consultant in lightwave communications. His brother, Ting-Kai Li, was a famous medical scientist.
Tingye Li passed away on December 27, 2012, in Snowbird, Utah.
Companies and Innovation
Dr. Li was very involved in helping new technology companies grow. He worked with companies like New Focus, Kotura, and was a co-founder and active helper at Insight Photonic Solutions, Inc.
Awards and Honors
- IEEE W.R.G. Baker Prize Paper Award - 1975
- Achievement Awards from the Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA - 1978
- IEEE David Sarnoff Award - 1979
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering - 1980
- Alumni Merit Award from Northwestern University - 1981
- Member of the Academia Sinica - 1994
- OSA/IEEE-LEOS John Tyndall Award - 1995
- Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering - 1996
- OSA Frederic Ives Medal - 1997
- AT&T Science and Technology Medal - 1997
- IEEE Photonics Award - 2004
- IEEE Edison Medal - 2009
Books
- Optical Fiber Communications: Fiber Fabrication, Tingye Li, 1985
- Topics in Lightwave Transmission Systems, Tingye Li, 1991
- Optical Fiber Telecommunications IV-A : Components, Ivan P. Kaminow and Tingye Li, 2002
- Optical Fiber Telecommunications IV-B : Systems and Impairments, Ivan P. Kaminow and Tingye Li, 2002
See also
- Optical Society of America#Past Presidents of the OSA]
