PBS Will Air New Documentary About Iowa Native, Grinnell Grad Robert Noyce
News Releases 2013-03-15
Summary:
Iowa native and 1949 Grinnell College graduate Robert Noyce, co-inventor of the integrated circuit, will be profiled in a documentary premiering on PBS's American Experience on Tuesday, Feb. 5.
The program, titled "Silicon Valley," will focus on the important role that Noyce played in the early days of the high-tech industry, as co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel in 1968.
Noyce is one of two people credited with inventing the integrated circuit, which became an essential component of modern electronics, including computers, motor vehicles, cell phones, and household appliances.
Director Randall MacLowery says that "Silicon Valley" focuses on Noyce's time at Shockley Semiconductor, Fairchild Semiconductor and his early years at Intel, "taking viewers on a journey that shares the story of the pioneering scientists who helped transform rural Santa Clara County into the hub of technological ingenuity we now know as Silicon Valley."
The program also will provide viewers with background on Noyce's time in Iowa, including his time at Grinnell College, where he first encountered the transistor, thanks to physics professor Grant Gale.
More information about "Silicon Valley" can be found at www.pbs.org.
Since its founding in 1846, Grinnell has become one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges, enrolling 1,600 students from all 50 states and from as many international countries. Grinnell's rigorous academic program emphasizes excellence in education for students in the liberal arts; the college offers the B.A. degree in a range of departments across the humanities, arts and sciences. Grinnell has a strong tradition of social responsibility and action, and self-governance and personal responsibility are key components of campus life. More information about Grinnell College is available at www.grinnell.edu.
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