Jack Kilby
NYSSPE’s Engineer of the Week features Jack Kilby, an electrical engineer who invented the handheld calculator and thermal printer. In conjunction with Robert Noyce, Kilby was also responsible for inventing the first integrated circuit in 1958.
Jack Kilby was born in Jefferson City, Missouri on November 8, 1923 and graduated with a masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Milwaukee. After college, he began to work as an engineer for Texas Instruments and it was there that he co-invented the integrated circuit. While at Texas Instruments he also revolutionized applications of microchip technology for military, industrial and commercial use.
Jack Kilby received many awards for his various accomplishments and advances. In 1969 he was awarded the National Medal of Science, in 1982 he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of fame, and in December 2000 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics.
