The Milestones honor PARC’s invention of the Alto personal computer, Ethernet, and the Laser Printer.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) designated three critical technologies with IEEE Milestones because of their impact and profound effect on society: the Alto personal computer, Ethernet, and the Laser Printer. Each of these innovations was created by researchers at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), which was acquired by SRI as a donation from Xerox in April 2023.
SRI will host a PARC Forum dedication ceremony and celebration on May 17 at SRI’s historic PARC Campus in Palo Alto, California. At the event, SRI Chief Executive Officer David Parekh will welcome Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe; Google Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf; IEEE President Tom Coughlin; and Vice Chair of the IEEE History Committee Brian Berg for an evening of discussion and storytelling.
“This honor recognizes the collaborative efforts and the visionary spirit that brought these essential technologies to the world,” said Parekh. “The award inspires us to continue our mission of creating and delivering scientific and engineering breakthroughs for the betterment of society.”
“The award inspires us to continue our mission of creating and delivering breakthroughs for the betterment of society.” — David Parekh
SRI is the proud custodian of nine IEEE Milestones: Inception of the ARPANET, Shakey the Robot, the Mother of all Demos, Color TV, Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), the TIROS I Weather Satellite, and now the Alto personal computer, Ethernet, and the Laser Printer.
Since the program’s inception in 1983, IEEE has recognized 252 Milestones globally including these three new ones. As the world’s largest technical professional organization, IEEE’s mission is to advance technology for the benefit of humanity.
“SRI’s legacy of innovation is also recognized as we celebrate these three groundbreaking Milestones for PARC’s contributions,” said IEEE President Tom Coughlin. “The IEEE Milestone program celebrates the timeless brilliance of human ingenuity, honoring the transformative technologies that have shaped our world and inspired generations of innovators.”
“As we reflect on these accomplishments and celebrate these Milestones, we are proud to be working together to accelerate the science and technology that people use every day,” continued Parekh. “Technologies that are so deeply intertwined in our daily lives often go unnoticed; most people don’t realize that these inventions were created decades ago —right here in our own backyard — and we are delighted to have the opportunity for IEEE to recognize them and the people who made them happen.”
