Clark School Honors Innovator Laroia

On October 16, the Clark School inducted alumnus Rajiv Laroia, M.S. ’89 and Ph.D. ’92, electrical engineering, into the Innovation Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Kim Engineering Building attended by campus leaders, faculty, staff, students and past Hall of Fame inductees.

Laroia was presented with a medallion commemorating his induction and a panel describing his work was revealed.

Laroia is a leading developer of wireline and wireless technologies who recently sold his company to communications giant QUALCOMM. He was honored for his inventions, which helped to double the speed of data over landline modems and will allow companies to bring enhanced internet functions to mobile phones.

As a student, Laroia was advised by Nariman Farvardin (now Clark School dean). Both conducted research for the Communication and Signal Processing Laboratory at the Institute for Systems Research.

Past Innovation Hall of Fame inductee Harry B. Smith was present at the ceremony and received his medallion as well. He was inducted in 1987 for the invention of pulse Doppler radar.

The Innovation Hall of Fame induction ceremony was followed by the Charles and Helen White Symposium,where Laroia served as one of the speakers.

For a gallery of the event: http://www.eng.umd.edu/spotlight/ihof2006/spot_ihof06-gallery1.html.

Published October 20, 2006