Gerard J. Foschini
Encyclopedia
Gerard Joseph Foschini is an American telecommunication
s engineer
who has worked for Bell Laboratories since 1961. His research has covered many kinds of data communications, particularly wireless
communications and optical communications. Foschini has also worked on point-to-point systems and networks
.
degree
from the New Jersey Institute of Technology
, the M.E.E. degree from New York University
and a Ph.D.
from the Stevens Institute of Technology
. He has also taught at Princeton University
and Rutgers University
.
Within the telecommunications engineering field, he is best known for his invention of Bell Laboratories Layered Space-Time
(BLAST). This is a scheme for use in wireless communications which recommends the use of multiple antennas
at both the transmitter and receiver. By careful allocation of the data to be transmitted to the transmitting antennas, multiple data streams can be transmitted simultaneously within a single frequency
band — the data capacity of the system then grows directly in line with the number of antennas. This represents a significant advance on current, single-antenna systems.
Foschini's 1996 paper[1] (not published until 1998), "On limits of wireless communications in a fading environment when using multiple antennas", sparked the massive international research effort on multiple-input multiple-output wireless systems that continues today. Shortly after that publication, in a technical memorandum for his employers[2], Foschini introduced the BLAST concept which is one of the most widely examined techniques in wireless communications research today. Among his later contributions, the paper offering a simplified form of the original BLAST architecture, called Vertical BLAST (V-BLAST)[3], has also resulted in intensive international research efforts. In 2002, Bell Laboratories' patent on BLAST was named by MIT
's Technology Review Magazine as one of five "Patents to watch". According to the American Society for Information Science and Technology
, Foschini is in the top 0.5% of most widely cited authors.
In 2002, Foschini received the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award, an honor given to New Jersey
people who have changed the world with their inventions; he has also received the Bell Labs Inventor's Award, Gold Award and Teamwork Award and holds the titles of "Distinguished Member of Staff, Distinguished Inventor" in the Laboratories.
Before his work on BLAST, Foschini had already been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
in 1986, "for contributions to communications theory".
Foschini received the 2008 IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal
"For seminal contributions to the science and technology of multiple-antenna wireless communications."
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who has worked for Bell Laboratories since 1961. His research has covered many kinds of data communications, particularly wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
communications and optical communications. Foschini has also worked on point-to-point systems and networks
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
.
Biography
Foschini received the B.S.E.E.Engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering that is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, and a few institutions in the United States....
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
from the New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
, the M.E.E. degree from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
. He has also taught at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.
Within the telecommunications engineering field, he is best known for his invention of Bell Laboratories Layered Space-Time
Bell Laboratories Layered Space-Time
Bell Laboratories Layered Space-Time is a transceiver architecture for offering spatial multiplexing over multiple-antenna wireless communication systems. Such systems have multiple antennas at both the transmitter and the receiver in an effort to exploit the many different paths between the two...
(BLAST). This is a scheme for use in wireless communications which recommends the use of multiple antennas
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
at both the transmitter and receiver. By careful allocation of the data to be transmitted to the transmitting antennas, multiple data streams can be transmitted simultaneously within a single frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
band — the data capacity of the system then grows directly in line with the number of antennas. This represents a significant advance on current, single-antenna systems.
Foschini's 1996 paper[1] (not published until 1998), "On limits of wireless communications in a fading environment when using multiple antennas", sparked the massive international research effort on multiple-input multiple-output wireless systems that continues today. Shortly after that publication, in a technical memorandum for his employers[2], Foschini introduced the BLAST concept which is one of the most widely examined techniques in wireless communications research today. Among his later contributions, the paper offering a simplified form of the original BLAST architecture, called Vertical BLAST (V-BLAST)[3], has also resulted in intensive international research efforts. In 2002, Bell Laboratories' patent on BLAST was named by MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
's Technology Review Magazine as one of five "Patents to watch". According to the American Society for Information Science and Technology
American Society for Information Science and Technology
The American Society for Information Science and Technology, sometimes abbreviated ASIS&T or ASIST, is a non-profit membership organization for information professionals...
, Foschini is in the top 0.5% of most widely cited authors.
In 2002, Foschini received the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award, an honor given to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
people who have changed the world with their inventions; he has also received the Bell Labs Inventor's Award, Gold Award and Teamwork Award and holds the titles of "Distinguished Member of Staff, Distinguished Inventor" in the Laboratories.
Before his work on BLAST, Foschini had already been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
in 1986, "for contributions to communications theory".
Foschini received the 2008 IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal
IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal
The IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal is an award honoring "exceptional contributions to the advancement of communications sciences and engineering" in the field of telecommunications...
"For seminal contributions to the science and technology of multiple-antenna wireless communications."