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How astronomy freed the computer from its chains

November 3rd, 2009

The 2009 Australian Prime Minister's Prize for Science has been awarded to astronomer/engineer Dr John O'Sullivan.

The award and $300,000 grant recognises Dr O'Sullivan's contributions to astronomy and to the invention which made wireless computing fast and reliable.

While looking for exploding black holes Dr O'Sullivan created a technology that cleaned up intergalactic radio waves.

Then in 1992, he and his colleagues at CSIRO realised that the same technology was the key to fast reliable wireless networking in the office and home.

Their patented invention is now built into international standards and into computers, printers, smart phones and other devices used by hundreds of millions of people every day.

It's one of the most significant achievements in CSIRO's 83 year history and illustrates how blue sky research can have very practical outcomes.

Professor O'Sullivan is now working on the design of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope - a step towards the giant Square Kilometre Array which will be able to look back 13 billion years, almost to the Big Bang.

Source: Science in Public

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