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Curtis R. Carlson '67
Curtis Carlson, you are known around the world for your technological and entrepreneurial achievements. WPI is honored to claim you as an alumnus and friend.
Before graduating from WPI with your degree in physics, you were a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and co-captain of the varsity swim team. You went on to earn a PhD from Rutgers University and join RCA’s Sarnoff Laboratories, which became part of SRI International in 1987. You started and helped lead the high-definition television team that set the standard for the United States, leading to an Emmy for outstanding technical achievement in 1997. Your team won a second Emmy in 2000 for broadcast quality testing. As head of ventures and licensing at Sarnoff, you helped form over a dozen new companies. You have more than 15 U.S. patents and over 50 publications to your credit in television, computer vision, and perception. In 2006, you wrote the book, Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want, which was selected by Business Week as one of the top ten business books of 2006.
After more than 20 years with the Sarnoff Corporation, you were ready for a new challenge, becoming president and CEO of SRI International in 1998. During your tenure, you began giving back to WPI. In 1999, your work toward the construction of the WPI Silicon Valley Project Center has helped hundreds of WPI students.
You are a worldwide leader in your field. Government task forces, including the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and the Defense Science Board, have asked for your assistance. You serve on the General Motors Science and Technical Advisory Board and co-chair Singapore’s Science Advisory Board. You are also vice chairman of the Sarnoff Corporation. A WPI Trustee since 2002, you are a member of many WPI committees, including the Academic Planning, the Development Committee, and the Technology Committee.
Curt Carlson, leader among your peers, it is with great honor that WPI recognizes your success by presenting you with the Herbert F. Taylor Award for Distinguished Service to WPI.
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