Aspen Institute CEO to be Honored by IEEE History Committee For Book on the Digital Revolution

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IEEE-USA (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

Dec 01, 2016, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, will receive the William and Joyce Middleton Electrical Engineering History Award today.

Isaacson is being honored by the IEEE History Committee for his book, The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution (Simon & Schuster, 2014). He will receive the award at Aspen Institute headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Walter Isaacson, Aspen Institute president and CEO, will receive the the William and Joyce Middleton Electrical Engineering History Award today in Washington, D.C.

The Innovators tells the story of the development of computing technology from its origins in the 19^th century through the emergence of the Internet. It discusses the individual people whose work was essential, while also illustrating how the ideas, technologies and organizations that gave birth to the digital era emerged through teamwork and collaboration.

The IEEE History Committee believes the book has "magnificently" fulfilled the goals of the Middleton Award to honor a work that features a wide range of IEEE technologies.

Isaacson is a former chairman and CEO of CNN and editor of Time magazine. His father, Irwin Isaacson, Jr., became an IEEE Life Senior Member in 1991.

In addition to The Innovators, Isaacson is the author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; Kissinger: A Biography; and Einstein: His Life and Universe. Isaacson also wrote Steve Jobs, the New York Times bestselling biography of the Apple co-founder.

The Middleton Award

The Middleton Award recognizes annually the author of a book (published within the previous three years) in the history of an IEEE-related technology that exemplifies exceptional scholarship and reaches beyond academic communities toward a broad public audience. It carries a prize of $2,000.

The award was established in 2014 through a gift to the IEEE Foundation from the estates of long-time IEEE leader William W. Middleton and his wife Joyce F. Middleton. The first winner was W. Bernard Carlson for his book, "Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age."

About IEEE

IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, with roots in electrical engineering, electronics and computing. It has more than 421,000 members in 160 countries. www.ieee.org.

About the IEEE History Committee & History Center

The IEEE History Committee and IEEE History Center promote the preservation and dissemination of information about the history of IEEE's fields of interest. For more information, visit www.ieee.org/about/history_center/ or email [email protected].

About the IEEE Foundation

The IEEE Foundation, the philanthropic arm of IEEE, inspires the generosity of donors to enable IEEE programs that improve access to technology, enhance technological literacy, and support technical education and the IEEE professional community. www.ieeefoundation.org

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SOURCE IEEE-USA (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)