[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 45 (Tuesday, April 11, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E530-E531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. IRWIN JACOBS

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 11, 2000

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my friend 
and constituent, Dr. Irwin Jacobs. America is well aware that Dr. 
Jacobs is the founder and CEO of Qualcomm, home of the CDMA wireless 
telecommunications standard. In addition to his work with Qualcomm, 
however, Dr. Jacobs is very active in San Diego's technology community.
  Dr. Jacobs was named scientist of the year by the San Diego Chapter 
of Achievement Reward for College Scientists. Ms. Toni Nickell, the 
president of the San Diego chapter, said that Dr. Jacobs was given this 
award ``because of his great contributions to technology''. 
Specifically, Dr. Jacobs, as the CEO of Qualcomm, has been conducting 
research that would expand the use of cellular phones and make them the 
personal computers of tomorrow.
  Irwin Jacobs deserves our congratulations for a job well done. Thanks 
in no small part to him, San Diego County is the global headquarters 
for CDMA wireless telecommunications technology.
  I commend my colleagues to read this attached article from the San 
Diego Union Tribune of April 6, 2000 describing this most recent honor 
for Dr. Jacobs.


[[Page E531]]



            [From the San Diego Union-Tribune, Apr. 6, 2000]

      Qualcomm Chief Named Scientist of the Year by Women's Group

                          (By David E. Graham)

       Technology is emerging now that will blur the distinctions 
     between a cellular phone and a desktop computer, Irwin 
     Jacobs, the CEO of Qualcomm, said last night at an awards 
     banquet in his honor.
       The leader of the San Diego wireless telecommunications 
     company was named scientist of the year by the San Diego 
     chapter of Achievement Reward for College Scientists. The 
     women's group raises money for scholarships for university 
     students studying science.
       While celebrating the need for talented students to fuel 
     innovation, Jacobs said his company is interested in 
     expanding the capabilities of digital cellular phones. ``That 
     device is able to do many, many things for us,'' Jacobs said.
       The company's code-division-multiple-access technology is a 
     standard technology for transferring information to the 
     phones. Soon, however, cellular phones will be able to tell 
     users that location in a city or within a building, using a 
     global-positioning technology. Other changes likely will 
     include the ability to connect to the Internet and download 
     and store great amounts of information--and even download and 
     play back music.
       Holding a cellular phone, he told the audience: ``I believe 
     for many people it will be their computer.''
       When someone needed a larger keyboard for writing and a 
     screen for large display of information, the phone could be 
     dropped into a device at a hotel or airport, for example, 
     where work could be done.
       The information could be used from within the phone set or 
     against plugged into another larger display at another site, 
     he said.
       Many consider Jacobs a voice not to be ignored. Buoyed by 
     the CDMA technology used in portable phones and by other 
     business moves, Qualcomm has been a darling of Wall Street, 
     its stock having soared last year.
       Jacobs said he also is interested in the distribution of 
     cinematic film to theaters digitally rather than on 
     traditional film.
       Jacobs was chosen for the Achievement Reward for College 
     Scientists award ``because of his great contributions to 
     technology,''said Toni Nickell, president of the group's San 
     Diego chapter.
       The chapter provided $425,000 in scholarships last fall to 
     49 graduate and undergraduate students at UCSD, SDSU and The 
     Scripps Research Institute.
       Since the chapter was organized in 1985, it has given more 
     than $2.4 million in scholarships to 375 students.

     

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