"These scholars and innovators have expanded our understanding of the world, made invaluable contributions to their fields and helped improve countless lives … Our nation has been enriched by their achievements, and by all the scientists and technologists across America dedicated to discovery, inquiry and invention," said President Obama.
Prof. Kailath is a Professor Emeritus of Engineering. The Hitachi born American started his career as an Electrical Engineering Associate Professor at Stanford in 1963. Five years later he was promoted to full Professor followed by his Emeritus status in 2001. Despite the title, Prof. Kailath continues his research and writing at the university.
Almost every decade Prof. Kailath’s research and teaching focus shifted to various fields, including: communications, linear systems, information theory, signal processing, estimation & control, probability & statistics, semiconductor manufacturing, and matrix & operator theory.
In that time, Prof. Kailath has mentored over a hundred postdoctoral and doctoral scholars. These students went on to produce over 300 papers of which many received awards. This work has also led to dozens of patents, books, and two major textbooks: Linear Systems and Linear Estimation.
On the other hand, Prof. Richter started at Stanford in 1956 as a Research Associate studying in the High Energy Physics Lab. In 1960, he was promoted to Assistant Professor in the Physics department. He eventually moved on to become the Director and leader of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) from 1984 to 1999.
Perhaps most amazingly, Prof. Richter discovered the J/psi particle. This heavy elementary particle implied that charmed quarks exist. This work won him the Nobel Prize in 1976.
More recently, however, Prof. Richter has worked on energy issues. He wrote the book Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Climate Change and Energy in the 21st Century. He is also a member of the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee, chaired the Fuel Cell subcommittee, and was a member of the first President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Review Panel for the National Climate Change Assessment.
Source Stanford.