Anniversary Event Home Keynote Speaker

Dr. Michael Geselowitz Staff Director, IEEE History Center Keynote Speaker

Title: From Starters to Startups: 100 Years of IEEE & Southeastern Michigan

Abstract: For over 125 years, IEEE has been fostering innovation. For almost that long, southeastern Michigan has been a hotbed of discovery and invention, beginning with its role as the birthplace of the global automobile industry. It is therefore not surprising that 100 years ago, the engineers in the area formed one of the early Sections of the AIEE, the predecessor organization to the IEEE. This presentation will trace the history of IEEE and of the innovations of the 20th century and look at their interaction, with a particular focus on the events in southeastern Michigan.

Biography: Dr. Michael N. Geselowitz is Staff Director of the IEEE History Center . Immediately prior to joining IEEE in 1997, Mike was Group Manager at Eric Marder Associates, a New York market research firm, where he supervised Ph.D. scientists and social scientists undertaking market analyses for Fortune 500 high-tech companies. He is also a registered Patent Agent.

Mike holds S.B. degrees in electrical engineering and in anthropology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology from Harvard University .

His research focus has been on the history and social relations of technology. He has worked as an electronics engineer for the Department of Defense , and he has held teaching and research positions relating to the social study of technology at M.I.T. , Harvard , and Yale University , including a stint as Assistant Collections Manager/Curator at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology .

Mike lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife, Emily Schneider, Ph.D., and has three children. He is active in his local synagogue.

The 100th Anniversary is a Once in a Lifetime! event. IEEE members and their spouse / companion will enjoy a non-technical program covering the history of electrical and electronics engineering during the past 100 years.

Check the program for scheduled times.