Stibitz & Wilson Honorees1997-2017 | ACRM: American Computer & Robotics MuseumIn the Beautiful Gallatin Valley - Bozeman, MontanaSince 1990: The World’s Oldest Continually Operating Museum of its Kind!

THE GEORGE R. STIBITZ COMPUTER & COMMUNICATIONS PIONEER AWARDS HONOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELDS OF COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATIONS.

THE EDWARD O. WILSON BIODIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY PIONEER AWARDS HONOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PRESERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY ON EARTH.

THE HONOREES FOR BOTH AWARDS MUST PARTICIPATE IN PERSON AT THE AWARDS CEREMONIES IN BOZEMAN, MONTANA. FOR POSTHUMOUS AWARDS, FAMILY REPRESENTATION IS REQUESTED. NO AWARDS WERE PRESENTED IN 2003, 2004, 2007 AND 2008.

Dr. George R. Stibitz

Dr. George R. Stibitz (1904-1995) is internationally recognized by computer scientists and historians as the seminal pioneer of the modern digital computer. As a mathematical physicist at the AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1937 and while performing research on the electromechanical properties of telephone relays, he had a hunch that a computer could be built using binary numbers with the relays representing ones and zeros using their on and off switching characteristics. In November of 1937, on the kitchen table of his home, Dr. Stibitz built a two-digit binary adding circuit using two telephone relays, two batteries, two light bulbs and a switch fashioned out of a tobacco tin. It was dubbed the Model K - for kitchen. In 1938, with the help of S.B. Williams, also of Bell Laboratories, he developed a full-scale calculator for the arithmetic of complex numbers. This computing machine was fully operational in late 1939 and was demonstrated in 1940. Dr. Stibitz used this demonstration to also showcase the first remote controlled computer using a teletype in Hanover, New Hampshire (on the Dartmouth campus) while the computer itself was in New York City. He joined the Department of Physiology at Dartmouth Medical School in 1964 as a research associate on the applications of physics, mathematics, and computers to biophysical/biomedical technologies. He became a professor in 1966 and professor emeritus in 1970. Dr. Stibitz was awarded 34 patents. Dr. Stibitz built a functioning replica of the Model K for the American Computer Museum (the original was dismantled long ago) and agreed to have an award named after him to be presented by the American Computer Museum and Montana State University that would recognize individuals who have significantly contributed to the progress of computing, communications and the information age in general.

Dr. Edward O. Wilson

University Research Professor Emeritus
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachussetts.

A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Wilson has authored over 20 books and hundreds of technical papers. He was born on June 10, 1929 and is usually cited as E. O. Wilson. Dr. Wilson is an American biologist, researcher (sociobiology, biodiversity, island biogeography), theorist (consilience, biophilia), naturalist (conservationist) and author. His biological specialty is myrmecology, the scientific study of ants, on which he is considered to be the world's leading expert. He has discovered hundreds of new species of ants during his lifetime. Arguably one of the most famous, respected and trusted scientists in the world, Dr. Wilson continues to lead an intensely active life as a researcher, theorist and passionate naturalist. In 2009 Dr. Wilson agreed to have an award named after him to be presented by the American Computer Museum and Montana State University to scientific, technical and literary pioneers who have made significant contributions to the understanding and preservation of the biodiversity of life on Earth. Whenever possible, Dr. Wilson participates in the museum’s awards ceremonies to personally present the The Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Awards.

2017

The 2017 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

The 2017 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Jennifer Doudna
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to the Development of the CRISPR-Cas9
Gene Editing Technology

The 2017 George R. Stibitz Computer

& Communications Pioneer Award

Michelle Simmons
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to Quantum Computation

Mark Ritter
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to Quantum Computation

Jerry M. Chow
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to Quantum Computation

Jay M. Gambetta
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to Quantum Computation

Rufus Cone
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to Quantum Memory

The 2017 George R. Stibitz Computer & Communications Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award

Jonathan Titus

A Pioneer of Personal Computers and a Distinguished Computer
& Electronics Engineering Technology Author

The 2017 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

John Heminway

For Distinguished Nature Filmography

__________________________

2016

The 2016 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Alan Turing

(Posthumous, the award was received in person by his nephew, Sir Dermot Turing)
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to the Breaking
of the WWII German Enigma Machine Code

Joseph Desch

(Posthumous, the award was received in person by his daughter, Deborah Desch Anderson)
For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to the Breaking
of the WWII German Enigma Machine Code

Mary Shaw

For Seminal & Pioneering Contributions to Software Architecture
& Computer Science Curricula

The 2016 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Dan Wenk

For Leadership and Undaunted Dedication Towards the Preservation
of Biodiversity at Yellowstone National Park

__________________________

2015

The 2015 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

David Ferrucci

For Seminal Contributions & Leadership as the Principal
Investigator of the IBM Watson Computer

Robert Gunderson

For Seminal Contributions to the Manual
Guidance and Control of the Apollo Moon Missions Saturn V Rocket

The 2015 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Janine Benyus

For Seminal Contributions to the Development and
Promotion of Biomimicry Based Technologies

Laurie Marker

For Seminal Contributions to the Biodiversity of Life
Through Conservation, Preservation and Sustainable Human Development

Kjetil Våge

For Seminal Contributions to the Understanding
of Ocean Currents & Climate Change

__________________________

2014

The 2014 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

David Andes

For the Invention of the World’s First Real Neural Computer

Cynthia Breazeal

For Seminal Contributions to the Development of Social Robotics
and Human Robot Interactions

Edward Feigenbaum

For Seminal Contributions to the Fields of
Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems

Douglas Hofstadter

For Seminal Contributions to the Understanding of
Human Cognition, Consciousness and Perception

Eric Horvitz

For Seminal Contributions to the Fields of Artificial
Intelligence and Human/Machine Intelligent Interfaces

Hans Moravec

For Seminal Contributions to the Fields of Artificial
Intelligence, Robotics and Transhumanism

The 2014 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Rebecca Costa

For Exemplary Writing and Public Outreach Regarding
Human Evolution and Sociobiology

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

For Exemplary Advocation of Biodiversity Through the
Authorship of Children’s Science Literature

John Priscu

For Outstanding Scientific Research, Advocacy and
Public Outreach Regarding Biodiversity

Cathy Whitlock

For Outstanding Scientific Research, Advocacy and
Public Outreach Regarding Biodiversity

__________________________

2013

The 2013 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Walter Elias Disney

(Posthumous - was to be received in person by his late daughter Diane Disney Miller
who took ill and could not travel to Bozeman. The award was instead brought to the
Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, CA)
For Seminal Contributions to the Development of Humanoid Robotics

John H. Holland

For Seminal Contributions to the Fields of Cellular Automata,
Genetic Algorithms & the Development of Holland's Schema Theorem

Charles W. Hull

For the Invention of Stereolithography (3D Printing)

The 2013 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Frans de Waal

For Seminal Contributions to the Understanding of Cognition,
Empathy & Morality in Primates

Jean B. Sweeney

For the Advocacy & Implementation of Global Environmental
Sustainability & Biodiversity in Industry

__________________________

2012

The 2012 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Vic Hayes

For Seminal Contributions to the Development of WiFi

Bob Metcalfe

For Seminal Contributions to the Development of Ethernet

The 2012 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity

Technology Pioneer Award

Paul Anastas

For Seminal Contributions to the Foundations of Green Chemistry

May Berenbaum

For Seminal Contributions to the Understanding of Insect Chemical
Ecology and the Public Understanding of Biodiversity

Gary Strobel

For Seminal Contributions to the Understanding of Antibacterial,
Antifungal and Other Bioactive Plant Compounds

__________________________

2011

The 2011 George R. Stibitz Computer & Communications Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award

Federico Faggin

For Foundational Contributions to the Development of the Modern
Technological World, Including the MOS Silicon Gate Technology that Led to the Realization of the World's First Microprocessor in 1971

The 2011 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Jim Lotimer

For Pioneering Modern Fish & Wildlife Monitoring Systems & Biotelemetry Technology

John Kress David Jacobs Peter Belhumeur

For Co-Pioneering Leafsnap - the First Mobile App for Plant Identification

__________________________

2010

The 2010 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Barbara Liskov

For Foundational Contributions to Computer Languages and
Object Oriented Programming

Max Mathews

For Pioneering Computer Generated Music and
Seminal Contributions to Digital Music Technologies & Software

Steve Sasson

For Inventing the First Digital Camera

The 2010 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Sir Alec Jeffreys

For the Invention of DNA Fingerprinting - the Basis of Modern DNA Evidence

Lynn Margulis

For the Theory of Symbiogenesis and Seminal Contributions
to the Understanding of Evolution and Biology

David Quammen

For Exemplary Writing About Science, Biodiversity and the Evolution of Life on Earth

__________________________

2009

The 2009 Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity
Technology Pioneer Award

Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe

For Seminal and Exemplary Engineering Work with Ecohydrology

Steve Running

For Pioneering and Seminal Scientific Work with Climatology, Global Warming
and Other Aspects of Atmospheric Science

Michael Soulé

For Exemplary Scientific and Public Outreach Work

David Ward

For Scientific Work with Thermal/Hot Spring
Microbial Diversity, Ecology and Evolution

__________________________

2006

The 2006 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Edward O. Wilson

For Pioneering the Electronic Encyclopedia of Life

__________________________

2005

The 2005 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

John Blankenbaker

For Pioneering the First Personal Computer: The Kenbak-1

Ross Perot

For Pioneering the Data Processing Industryand the Founding of EDS

__________________________

2002

The 2002 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Ralph Baer

For Inventing the First Home Video Game

Martin Cooper

For Inventing the Cell Telephone

Klein Gilhousen

For Principal Designer of the CDMA DigitalCell Phone Technology

Leroy Hood

For Inventing the Automated DNA Sequencer

James Russell

For Inventing the Digital Compact Disc

Jon Titus

For Inventing the Mark-8: The First Hobbyist Microcomputer Kit

__________________________

2001

The 2001 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

__________________________

2000

The 2000 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Tim Berners-Lee

For Inventing the World Wide Web

Ray Tomlinson

For Inventing E-Mail

Steve Wozniak

For Inventing the Apple I & Apple II Computers & For
Co-Founding of the Apple Computer Company

__________________________

1999

The 1999 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

James Harris

For Key Contributions to the Invention of the
First Transistorized Computer - the TRADIC

Vinton G. Cerf

For Pioneering the Internet: Major Design and Development Contributor to the Original ARPANET NCP Protocol and Co-Inventor of the Internet's TCP/IP Protocol

Robert Khan

For Pioneering the Internet: Major Designer of the ARPANET Architecture, Inventor of Open Architecture Networking and Co-Inventor of the Internet's TCP/IP Protocol

__________________________

1998

The 1998 George R. Stibitz Computer
& Communications Pioneer Award

Doug Engelbart