2010 Marconi Symposium Explores “Innovation Ecosystem”

Legendary Silicon Valley Innovators Provide Insights about How to Foster Creative Environments

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Several of Silicon Valley’s legendary inventors—whose work made possible the Internet, worldwide broadband access and revolutionized the way people communicate—will present their ideas on how to foster creative environments and remove obstacles to innovation at the 2010 Marconi Symposium, “Understanding the Innovation Ecosystem.” The event, open to the public and sponsored by the nonprofit Marconi Society, takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., October 15, 2010 at SRI in Menlo Park.

The annual Marconi Symposium is held in conjunction with the Marconi Society Awards Dinner, which this year honors Marconi Prize Winners Charles Geschke and John Warnock, co-founders of Adobe Systems. Founded in 1974 by the daughter of radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, the Marconi Society annually confers a $100,000 prize on a scientist or scientists whose work in information science or telecommunications has benefited mankind.

Among the symposium panelists will be Martin Hellman, co-inventor of public key encryption theory, Vint Cerf, co-inventor of TCP/IP protocol, Federico Faggin, co-inventor of the microprocessor, John Cioffi, inventor of the DSL modem, Chuck Geschke and John Warnock, co-founders of Adobe Systems and Curt Carlson, CEO of SRI, one of the nation’s leading research centers. The two panels will be moderated by Nicholas Sullivan, an expert on Society and technology and author of “You Can Hear Me Now,” and Dr. Robert Lucky, former Bell Labs executive and chairman of the Marconi Society.

“The individuals who built the U.S. technology landscape had one thing in common—a belief that virtually nothing is impossible,” said Dr. Lucky, the 1987 Marconi Prize winner (for his invention of the automatic adaptive equalizer.) “Their inventions often flew in the face of established ideas and rules of science and technology. Hearing their accounts of both the external and internal factors that drove their success or impeded it provides a roadmap for building the innovation ecosystem of the future.”

The 2010 Marconi Symposium, which includes a Continental breakfast and a box lunch, is open to the public. General admission is $50. Students with valid I.D. pay $20. More information may be found at www.marconisociety.org and online registration is available at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=206872.

CONTACT:

For The Marconi Society
Michelle Mosman, 650-722-0798
Michellemosman10@gmail.com
Hatti Hamlin, 925-872-4328
hattihamlin@comcast.net

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Education  University  Entertainment  Technology  Consumer Electronics  Hardware  Internet  Networks  Software  Telecommunications  VoIP  Mobile Entertainment

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