Bell Labs Veterans Awarded U.S. National Medal of Technology

Two Bell Labs veterans have been selected to receive the 2006 U.S. National Medal of Technology awards.



Dr.Herwig Kogelnik, currently Adjunct Photonics Systems Research Vice President at Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, is being honored for his pioneering contributions and leadership in the development of lasers, optoelectronics, integrated optics and lightwave communications systems. Kogelnik is the co-inventor of the distributed feedback laser, which is the light source for most optical communications systems. He also led the Bell Labs research team that developed the pioneering dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) optical system. He is a 46-year veteran of Bell Labs.



Dr.James Edward West, currently Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, is being recognized for co-inventing the electret microphone with Gerhard Sessler while working at the Bell Labs, one of over 200 patents that he received. Ninety percent of the 2 billion microphones produced annually and used in everyday items such as telephones, hearing aids, camcorders and multimedia computers employ electret technology.

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com