Electronic Design Salutes The EEs Who Give Life To Technology

When it comes to crediting the profession that has the greatest impact on our daily lives, most people would probably think of medical doctors first. But they would be wrong. Electronics engineers have probably enriched and affected more lives than any other professional group. We have put a cell phone in practically every pocket and several televisions in every home, created smart appliances and computer-controlled automobiles, provided the foundation for the global financial community to function, and interconnected the entire world through the Internet. By the way, EEs created the enabling technology that allows doctors to better diagnose problems and move from invasive to noninvasive treatment. And EEs have contributed much more. So, it's only fitting that Electronic Design, the first magazine to be aimed exclusively at EEs with an editorial focus on design, honor the Profession as part of its 50th anniversary celebration. With this issue, we are launching our Engineering Hall of Fame and inducting its first honorees. The Profession section presents the complete Honor Roll of 2002 inductees and feature interviews with selected inductees. The section also offers two other feature articles. One explores the Generation Gap differences between Baby Boomer and GenX EEs, while the other looks at how the face of engineering has changed over the decades.