Former student wins Nobel Prize
A graduate of the University of Greenwich has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Professor Charles Kao made the discovery that led to the breakthrough in fibre optic technology which allows global communication via the internet.
Charles Kao studied at Woolwich Polytechnic for the BEng in Electrical Engineering and graduated in 1957. Woolwich Polytechnic later became Thames Polytechnic which took on the title of the University of Greenwich in 1992.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, Baroness Blackstone (former Education Minister, Tessa Blackstone), comments on today’s award of the Nobel Prize in Physics to Charles K. Kao:
“The University of Greenwich is delighted that the great achievement of one of its graduates has been recognised by the Nobel committee. We have always regarded Charles Kao as one of our most distinguished alumni, and it was a great privilege when he accepted an honorary degree from the university in 2003. We were also delighted that he came along to an alumni event in Hong Kong during the last year.”
Charles Kao’s research culminated in the proof that strands of glass fibres can transmit near limitless amounts of digitised data on pulses of laser light. His discoveries proved an inspiration to others and enabled the use of fibre optics in telecommunications and led to the development of the internet, video conferencing and electronic commerce.
One half of the Nobel Physics Prize for 2009 was awarded to Charles Kao ‘for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication’ and the other half went jointly to Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith ‘for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor’.
Greenwich still carries out teaching in Electrical Engineering and it remains one of the university's strengths.
The Nobel prizes, founded by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, were first awarded in 1901. Previous winners of the physics prize in the past include Pierre and Marie Curie in 1903 for their work on radiation, and Guglielmo Marconi in 1909 for his work in wireless telegraphy.
Laureates receive a gold medal, a diploma and a sum of money. The formal award ceremony takes place in Stockholm and Oslo on December 10.
For further information and photos please contact:
Nick Davison, Public Relations, University of Greenwich
020 8331 8092