Physicist Neils Bohr once said that making predictions, especially about the future, is never easy.
But as George Heilmeier points out, it’s a lot easier than changing the past.
Heilmeier, a 1958 Penn Engineering School graduate and electronics innovator, made several bold predictions on Wednesday regarding the future of information technology during a ceremony in which the Engineering School dedicated the new Heilmeier Hall, a large lecture room inside the Towne Building.
The dedication was followed by a lecture entitled, “From Pots to Pans.com: Information Systems and Technology for the Next Decade and Beyond.”
Heilmeier has served on the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Board of Overseers for the last 10 years, according to Associate Engineering Dean for Graduate Education Dwight Jaggard, who dedicated the lecture hall.
“We are very proud to name the hall after him,” Jaggard said.
“It’s great to have his name permanently associated with Penn Engineering.” Heilmeier is recognized primarily for his discoveries at RCA of several new electro-optic effects in liquid crystals which made it possible for the first time to control the reflection of light electronically.
These discoveries directly led to the development of the first liquid crystal displays.
Most recently, he has served as the president and chief executive officer of Bellcore Inc.
“Dr. Heilmeier is arguably one of Penn’s most outstanding graduates,” said former Engineering Dean Joseph Bordogna, now deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
“Not only has he had an impact on technology itself but his impact has influenced cultural change in our society.” Following the dedication ceremony, Heilmeier predicted how information systems and technology will change in the next decade.
He broke up the lecture into five major parts — computing, information systems and management, software, networking and services.
According to Heilmeier, the Internet and computer networks will undergo major changes over the next decade.
He feels that one of the most important emerging themes is a more immediate and efficient customer service system and more seamless World Wide Web advertising and ordering procedures.
The importance of privacy in the years to come will shift in scope, he predicted.
“The network of the future will be less robust than the network of today,” Heilmeier said.
“Also, network security will be a lot bigger than data security.” Afterwards, students who attended the lecture said they found Heilmeier’s forecasts to be on target.
“He made very good predictions about information technology in the years to come,” Engineering senior Hans Eberhart said.
“It was an insider perspective so it was even more useful.” And according to Electrical Engineering Professor Jorge Santiago-Aviles, the Engineering School is very proud of the legacy Heilmeier left on technology.
“He formed himself and became one of the giants of industry,” Santiago-Aviles said.
“He was very informative and we are proud that he provided the time and enthused the students by summarizing his experience with telecommunications and giving us a guiding hand.”
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