The Executive Committee of the Design Automation Conference congratulate Pat Pistilli on receiving the Phil Kaufman Award.
We are very pleased that Pasquale (Pat) O. Pistilli, chairman of MP Associates will receive this year’s Phil Kaufman Award for pioneering the electronic design automation (EDA) industry. Pat is a true founding father of the Design Automation Conference (DAC). During his tenure, DAC grew into the premiere showcase and networking platform that we know today.
Pioneer, Innovator, Developer, Inventor, Teacher, Mentor, Risk Taker
As a young engineer at Bell Labs, Pistilli started the Society to Help Avoid Redundant Effort (SHARE) Design Automation Workshop in 1964 as a way of networking and exchanging ideas about techniques for better automating electronics design. The first SHARE Workshop on Design Automation led to DAC and the focal point for the commercialization of EDA software and hardware.
Pistilli drove technology changes throughout his 25-year career at Bell Labs. While a member of the technical staff at Bell Labs, he was instrumental in developing numerous internal computer aided design (CAD) tools.
In 1984, DAC, a formerly all-volunteer undertaking, was poised for growth and required full-time management due to the anticipated grows of commercial EDA tools. Pistilli and with his wife, Marie, formed MP Associates, Inc. The Pistillis retired from MP Associates in October 2000, although both remain as co-chairs of the board of directors.
In addition, Pistilli was instrumental in establishing the DAC Professional Development Fund to support the research community. This fund has awarded $2.5 million in scholarships, travel grants and student support over the past 15 years. The P.O. Pistilli ACSEE scholarship fund annually awards two $20,000 scholarships to students from underrepresented minorities to study Computer Science or Electrical Engineering.
Pistilli will be honored during the Phil Kaufman Award Dinner October 12 at the San Jose Marriott Hotel in San Jose, Calif. The yearly award is presented by the Electronic Design Automation Consortium (EDAC) and the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA).
See below for more information. To register for the Phil Kaufman Award dinner please visit www.edac.org.
About the Phil Kaufman Award
The Phil Kaufman Award, presented annually since 1994, honors individuals who have had a demonstrable impact on the field of EDA. It was established as a tribute to deceased EDA industry pioneer Phil Kaufman, who turned innovative technologies such as silicon compilation and emulation into businesses that have benefited electronic designers. For more information on the award and to register to attend the event, go to www.edac.org or www.c-eda.org.
About the EDA Consortium
The EDA Consortium is the international association of companies that provide design tools and services that enable engineers to create the world’s electronic products used for communications, computer, space technology, medical, automotive, industrial equipment, and consumer electronics markets, among others. For more information about the EDA Consortium, visit www.edac.org.
About the IEEE Council on EDA
The IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA) provides a focal point for EDA activities spread across six IEEE societies (Antennas and Propagation; Circuits and Systems; Computer; Electron Devices; Microwave Theory and Techniques; and Solid State Circuits). It sponsors more than 12 conferences, including the Design Automation Conference (DAC), the International Conference in CAD (ICCAD) and Design Automation and Test in Europe (DATE). CEDA publishes IEEE Transactions on CAD and the IEEE Embedded Systems Letters. CEDA is increasingly involved in recognizing its leaders via the A. Richard Newton Award, Early Career Award and Phil Kaufmann Award. CEDA welcomes volunteers and local chapters. For more details, visit: www.c-eda.org/.