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Current Recipient
Dr. Kenneth Carless (K.C.) Smith, EngPhys 5T4, ElecE MASc 5T6
K.C. has contributed substantially to the field of electrical and
computer engineering. Not only is he the co-author of the world’s
best-selling electronics-circuits text, he is also a distinguished
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) member, mentor
to young academics — nationally and internationally — and innovator of
critical technologies used in the areas of computers and health care.
After serving as Chief Engineer in the development of a
highspeed multiprocessor computer at the University of Illinois, he
came back to the University of Toronto as Associate Professor in
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. In 1965, K.C.
played a major role in shaping the department’s curriculum
by introducing the teaching of semiconductor circuits at the
undergraduate level. At the same time, he introduced a novel graduate
course called Digital Electronics. These courses inspired a joint
authorship between K.C. and one of his students, Adel Sedra. In 1982,
this collaboration resulted in a book titled Microelectronic Circuits.
By 2008, the fifth edition of the book — with many international English
versions and translations — reached a sales level of a million copies,
having been the world’s best-selling engineering electronics textbook
for some time. The book is now in its sixth edition.
Throughout his illustrious career — which includes serving
as Chair of what is now The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of
Electrical & Computer Engineering — he was appointed Chief Engineer
of various enterprises. For instance, while at Owl Instruments, he
designed a commercial line of radio-frequency lesion generators and a
early commercial example of a shareable,hand-held, instant-access
heart-rate monitoring systems for use in athletic facilities. As well,
he designed a commercially viable nerve stimulator for patient
self-control of local pain.
From 1993 to 2008, as a member of a basic-research team and
then as Principal Scientist of Z-Tech in Toronto, he designed commercial
early-detection systems for breast cancer.
His honours include:
- Fellow, IEEE 1978
- Life Fellow, IEEE, 1996
- IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Service Award, 2000
- Special Issue of the Journal of Multiple-Valued Logic (MVL) and Soft Computing, in recognition of Smith’s 70th year and 30 years of contributions to MVL, 2003
- IEEE Computer Society Service Award, 2004
- IEEE Canada Computer Medal, 2009
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Information Technology Association of Canada, 2010
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