One of the founders of GPS to speak at Engineering Week event
Hugo Fruehauf, one of the creators of GPS, will speak at Lipscomb’s Engineering Week breakfast on Feb. 19.
Janel Shoun-Smith | 615.966.7078 |
Hugo Fruehauf was one of four engineers awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, the engineering version of the Nobel prize, for his work to develop GPS.
Lipscomb University’s National Engineers Week Breakfast, Wednesday, Feb. 19, will offer Nashvillians the chance to hear from one of the key innovators who took maps out of the car glovebox and placed them in the palm of your hand.
Hugo Fruehauf was one of four engineers awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, the engineering version of the Nobel prize, for his work to develop GPS (Global Positioning System), the same technology we use on our cell phones today in countless ways.
The man who helped revolutionize the family road trip and made applications like Uber and Lyft possible will speak on “Orientation to Your Place on the Planet,” at Lipscomb’s event at 7:30 a.m., Feb. 19, in the Fields Engineering Center on the university’s Green Hills campus. This presentation is appropriate for all audiences and seats are still available.
Cost is $30 and those interested can register at www.lipscomb.edu/events/engineering-week-breakfast-hugo-fruehauf. For more information or to register by phone, contact Megan Davis at 615-966-5039.
About Hugo Fruehauf
Hugo Fruehauf
Fruehauf developed a highly accurate, miniaturized atomic clock, a foundational component of the GPS system, and other aspects of the GPS satellites, while at Rockwell International.
Prior to that, he worked at Martin-Marietta and Convair Astronautics as a field operations test engineer, covering Atlas-Agena launches and Titan-I ICBM testing at Vandenberg Air Force Base and test launches of the TM-76B Cruise Missile at Cape Canaveral.
He joined Rockwell International in 1965 as electrical systems manager for the Saturn-V, 2nd stage launch vehicle, which took astronauts to the moon.
He was Rockwell’s Chief Engineer and Systems Manager for the design and development of the GPS Satellite (1973-78). He was also chief engineer for the design and development of NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite and helped develop the first fully radiation hardened rubidium vapor atomic clock.
In the 1990s, he served as president and CTO of the German company Ball-Efratom, where he worked to invent the first miniature rubidium vapor atomic oscillator, which met GPS’ accuracy requirements and became the ‘clock of choice’ for GPS satellites.
Since then he has served in top management at Defense Group, Alliant Techsystems, FEI-Zyfer, Zyfer and Odetics Telecom. Today he is a consultant and adjunct professor at Pepperdine University.