One of the peculiar things to note in Robert Noyce’s biography is his involvement in the establishment of the Intel Corporation. The inception of Intel occurred in 1968. The corporation was established jointly with Gordon E. Moore. For almost a decade Robert held the president’s position, until in 1975 he became the chairman of the board. Some sixteen patents were originated by Robert; they largely cover the developments of different semiconductor methods, as well as the structures and devices. Patent number 2,981,877 is the one that is associated with his ingenious invention of the microchip. Most notably, it was Robert who was responsible for the management of the group of originators, who were working on the microprocessor project.

Robert Noyce Biography and Accomplishments.

The invention of the integrated circuit has definitely made a name for Robert in the field of electronics. He received a prestigious Stuart Ballantine’s award, which was awarded to him by Franklin Institute. In 1978, he was granted a Cledo Brunetti award for the very same product that he had pioneered. To top it off, Noyce also pocketed an IEEE Medal of Honor the same year. Due to his contributions in the field of electronics, the IEEE has created the Robert Norton Noyce Award, which is given out to laureates working in the field of microelectronics.

All in all, 16 patents were registered by Robert, and these involved the developments of the semiconductor devices, the structures and methods that included the function of photoengraving to diffused isolation junction for ICs and semiconductors. His main patent is of course related to the metal interconnect methods.

The impact of the invention.

Almost every piece of electrical equipment that is used today encompasses the work of integrated circuits. An invention like this was a real breakthrough at the times when the typical layout of electronic circuits was used. Additionally, one of the perks of integrated circuits is of course their capacity to be mass-produced, which in turn makes electronic equipment more accessible, as well as cheaper in price.

Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program

Talented majors in science, engineering, mathematics or technology are encouraged to take part in this program, which will allow them to become science teachers and K-12 math lecturers. The scholarship program assists higher education institutions, which in turn grant scholarships and provide academic programs for undergraduate STEM majors and post-BA students with the STEM degrees. The following avenue opens up a lot of opportunities to lecture in a highly-demanded market.

Robert Norton Noyce’s Early Life

He was born in Burlington, Iowa on December 12^th, 1927. He grows up in the towns of Iowa, mainly in Grinnell. Robert Norton Noyce was Rev. Ralph Brewster’s youngest among the three sons with Donald as the eldest born in the year 1923 and before him Gaylord born in the year 1926. His father graduated from various institutions including Oberlin College, Doane College, and Chicago Theological Seminary and became the Congregational Christian Conference of Iowa’s Associate Superintendent in 1930’s and 1940’s. Robert’s mother is Harriet May Norton and was a graduate of Oberlin College just like his father. Prior to their marriage, she dreamed to become a missionary. She often described as an intelligent woman that has commanding will and with innate sense in budgeting.

Robert Noyce belongs to a family with a deep Midwestern root with a tradition of serving as ministers and teachers. Robert’s father was William Bradford’s (1590-1657) descendant from Plymouth Colony. During the summer of 1940, he was only 12 then, he build an aircraft (boy-sized) together with his older brother and flew it from the stables of Grinnell College rooftop. After that, he also built a radio and motorized it by soldering a propeller and an old laundry machine engine.

Robert Noyce’s Education

Noyce grew up and attended his schooling mostly in Iowa particularly in Grinnell.  During high school he exhibited his talent in Science and Mathematics. When he was in senior year, he took up the course of freshman physics in Grinnell College. In 1945, he graduated high school and eventually went to Grinnell College at the end of the year. Noyce was the 1947 star diver of the swim team of Championship in Midwest Conference. Noyce also exhibit his talent in singing, acting and played oboe when he was in Grinnell College. In 1949, he graduated as a Phi Beta Kappa member, with BA in Mathematics and Physics. He also had an award from his proud classmates which is the signal honour; that is recognized as the man who gets the best and highest grade with minimal work also known as the prize of Brown Derby.

While he was an undergraduate, he attended physics course under Professor Gale. He was fascinated in the physics.  Robert was hooked when his professor showed them the first two transistors that ever came out from the Bell Labs. He finished his doctorate degree in MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Robert Noyce’s Career

After he graduated in MIT, he had his very first job in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Philco Corporation as research engineer. After a short experience in making transistor, he then decided to work at Shockley Semiconductor. Noyce’s and Shockleys egos and scientific vision clashed. When some of Shockley’s Semiconductor leaves the company, they realize that they really need a leader. And Noyce was their natural choice because of his confidence at the age of 29. But he also decided to leave Shockley in the year 1957 and found his own Fairchild Semiconductor.

He was the company’s general manager and invented the silicon chip with lots of transistors. According to Fairchild Sherman, the reason for Fairchild to agree and create the eight semiconductor division was Robert’s vision and passionate presentation.

When he left Fairchild Semiconductor, in 1968, Gordon E. Moore and Robert Noyce founded Intel. Arthur Rock and the major investor of the company stated that they needed Moore, Grove including Noyce for the success of Intel. They needed Noyce, because he is the visionary; Moore, for the technology skills; and Grove as an expert technologist and turned to be management scientist. Robert Noyce’s relaxed culture which he brought to the Intel Company was the style he used at the Fairchild Semiconductor Company. He always treated his employees as his family, encouraging and rewarding teamwork. His management style brings success stories for Valley. He avoided corporate fancy cars, reserved spaces for parking, offices, private jets, and furnishings to have less structured, fresh working environment that everyone contributed for there is no exception of lavish benefits.

Family and Marriage

Elizabeth “Betty” Bottomley became his wife in 1953. Bottomley was born in Auburn, Massachusetts on October 7^th, 1930. She is Helen McLaren and Frank Bottomley’s daughter. She passed away on September 18^th, 1996 at Lincoln Country. She was also a Tufts University graduate of the year 1951. After their marriage, in 1976 she decided to move in Maine and eventually settled there. She has assets that his parents have. She became the art collector and leading philanthropist in Maine. They had 4 children together.

Ann Schmeltz Browsers became Noyce’s second wife. He marries her on November 27^th, 1974. She is a Cornell University 1959 graduate.  And she was also awarded an honorary in Ph. D in University of Santa Clara. She became a deputy for almost 20 years and was Intel Corporation’s first Director Personnel and the Apple Inc.’s first Human resources Vice President. Currently, she is Noyce’s foundation trustee and serves as the Chairman of the Board.

Death

On June 3, 1990, Robert Noyce suffered from heart attack and eventually died in Texas, specifically in Austin.

Robert Noyce’s Honours and Awards

Robert Noyce filed for the Patent U.S Lead Structure and Semiconductor Device, an integrated circuit on July 1959. This was recorded after the findings of Jack Kilby, the inventor. Almost three United States presidents honoured him because of integrated circuit’s great impact to the world. In 1987, he received a National Medal of Technology Award from President Ronald Reagan. He also received U.S Business hall of Fame, Franklin Institute Stuart Ballantine Medal, IEEE Medal of Honour, National Medal of Science, Charles Stark Draper Prize and a lot more. The Grinnell College science building was also derived the name from him.

Robert Noyce is really a man that everyone should know and recognize. He is one very good example for the teenagers out there. That was 12^th of December 2011 when Google Doodle honoured Noyce during his 84^th anniversary. He is someone that people should respect and not just for his magnificent inventions but his life as a whole.

Although Noyce is a man filled with daunting intellect and talents who was also honored by two United States Presidents and his peers in the industry as well as in the academe, he remained an approachable and a very humble man who fervently believe in democracy.

Everything that the Noyce Foundation undertakes, the organization remains committed to promote the qualities and values that he embodied which include optimism, risk taking, creativity and determination. In recognition to the concern of Robert Noyce regarding the shrinking groups of students who are committed and interested to careers which are related to science and technology, the foundation focused on science, math as well as supporting works concerned policy and research.

The Noyce Foundation is much focused on the improvement of the educational instruction in science, math as well as early literacy and learning in public educational institutions. The foundation supports those science programs which are not based in schools, while these institutions are more centered on literacy and math as their response to the No Child Left Behind policy. These science programs that the Noyce Foundation support promise to sustain and engage the interests of the students during their middle school days which is very crucial for them in making critical decisions regarding subjects of their interests. This informal initiative of the foundation which concerns science includes support and backing for the development of leadership in science centrum.

The foundation also aims to assist the younger generation become thoughtful, curious as well as engaged learners. The key areas that the Noyce Foundation focuses include:

• Improving the instruction of science and math in public institutions for learning
• Leadership development to support the achievement of many students
• Research and education policy development
• Broaden opportunities for a lot of students to have hands-on experience on science outside of schools

The foundation believes that the informal science which they support provides a lot of students with out-of-school quality and engaging experiences in technology as well as engineering that will encourage them to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as to enhance general knowledge about STEM.

Being a preacher’s son the intelligent man grew up and was able to spend his childhood in Grinnell, Iowa and attends local schools. In his high school years he shows much of his talents in science and mathematics. He took the course Grinnell College freshman physics during his senior year. He was able to graduate from Grinnell High School in the year 1945. It was fall of the same year when he continued to study college at Grinnell College. And being a member of a swimming team in 1947 he was given the title as star diver in the Midwest Conference Championship. He was able to sing and he can also play the wind instrument oboe. He even tried acting in his college years.

He graduated as one of the members of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated with BA in Mathematics and Physics in 1949 from Grinnell College. Phi Beta Kappa is one of the famous honor society in terms of academic. The mission of the society is to advocate and celebrate the liberal arts and sciences’ excellence. America’s leading universities’ and colleges’ most outstanding students of arts and sciences are the members of this society. Noyce has always been a leader of the crowd. He also received a signal honor from his classmates which is named as the Brown Derby Prize, and recognized Noyce as the senior man who exerted less effort but still gain the best grades from school.

Noyce, like a normal student also did something tricky during his college life. He did steal a pig for a college luau or feast that is why the local farmers were not able to like him. The farmers did not easily forgive him even though he already confessed and offered a payment. That situation got Noyce to be nearly expelled but was not able to happen.

During the college years of Noyce, Grant Gale his physics professor holds the very first transistors to come out from Bell Labs. The professor showed it to his class and definitely hooked up Noyce’s curiosity. When Noyce was able to take his Ph.D. in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1948, he eventually found out that he even knew few more things about transistors compared to the knowledge of his professor.

After a simultaneous researches and inventions about integrated circuit two of his companions namely TI and Kilby are the first to test their device. Because of this integrated circuit incorporating a room full of equipment they were able to prove that a handheld device with lots of features is possible.

Noyce is an avid fan of the works of Hemingway all his life. He also flies his own airplane, scuba diving and hang gliding. He believed that the advancement in the sophistication and complexity surrounding microelectronics would continue beyond its present state.

Noyce has attended local schools in Grinnell, Iowa where he grew. During his high school days, Noyce showed talent in science and mathematics, and then he took physics course in Grinnell College. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for his doctorate degree in physics.

In 1953, Noyce has graduated at the MIT and took a job at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Philco Corporation as research engineer. In 1956, he left the company to take a job at the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, division of Beckman Instrument which is based in Mountain View, California.

At Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Noyce joined William Shockley but once again left the company with the so-called traitorous eight who are responsible in the formation of the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation in 1957. Noyce and his companions left their former employer due to some reasons which have something to do with the quality of the company’s management. Sherman Fairchild imparts that the reason why he agreed with the creation of the division specializing in semiconductors for Noyce and his colleagues is the impassioned passion presentation of Noyce.

In 1968, Gordon E. Moore and Noyce have founded Intel Corporation after they parted with Fairchild Semiconductor. According to Arthur Rock, major investor and chairman of the board at Intel Corporation, the success of the company greatly depends on Noyce, Moore as well as Andrew Grove. Noyce will be the visionary who will inspire the employees; Moore will be the technology expert; and Grove as the technologist who became management scientist.

Noyce’s relax culture at Fairchild Semiconductor was also present during his days at Intel Corporation. He rewards and encourages teamwork among the employees in the company, and treats them as part of his family. The management style of Noyce is called the follow-your-bliss or the roll-up-your-sleeves style set the pace for a lot of success stories in the Silicon Valley.

As one of the initiators of the Intel Corporation, Robert Noyce disregarded fancy cars, parking space reservations, furnishings, private jets and offices for just less-structured and relaxed working space where everyone in the company can contribute even without the benefits from lavish luxuries. Robert Norton Noyce serves as the role model for the future chief executive officers (CEOs) of Inter Corporation by declining those perks than an executive usually enjoys.

Noyce and other engineers left their employer in 1957 in order to create their own company, the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, where he developed the microchip or integrated circuit in 1959. And in 1969, Noyce along with his two Fairchild Semiconductor colleagues, Gordon E. Moore and Andrew Grove founded Intel Corporation. Noyce is the chief executive officer (CEO) and the president of the company which he co-founded with his Fairchild colleagues. In this company, Noyce was instrumental for the very first microprocessor and other microchips’ development.

Robert Noyce has filed for United States Patent 2,981,877 Semiconductor Device and Lead Structure which is a kind of microchip in July 1959. This is independent effort of Noyce was only recorded after few months when the finding of Jack Kilby was released. During the time when he co-invented the integrated circuit that revolutionized technology, three Presidents of the United States have honored him.

Aside from the honors that the three Presidents of the United States had given to Noyce, he also received several awards and honors from other governing bodies and people of influence. In 1987, The National Medal of Technology was awarded to him by United States President Ronald Reagan. Two years after he received the award from President Reagan, Noyce was inducted to the Business Hall of Fame which is sponsored by Junior Achievement, which happened on a black tie ceremony which was keynoted by former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

In 1990, Robert Noyce along with other awardees which include John Bardeen, the inventor of the transistor and Jack Kilby has received the Lifetime Achievement Medal during Patent Act’s 200^th year celebration.

In 1966 Robert Noyce received the Stuart Ballantine Medal from the Franklin’s Institute. The Medal of Honor from the IEEE was also awarded to him in 1978 for his great contributions to the development of the Silicon Integrated Circuit which is the vital element in modern electronics.

The National Medal of Science was awarded to Robert Noyce in 1979. He was also elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1980. The Charles Stark Draper Prize was awarded to him in 1989 by the National Academy of Engineering.

In honor for his great achievement in the field of electronics, his alma mater, Grinnell College has named its science building after his him. Noyce was also honored with a Google Doodle on December 12, 2011 for the celebration of his 84^th birthday.

It is no doubt that Robert Norton Noyce is one of the best inventors that has ever lived. He has contributed a lot to the technological revolution that allows people in this modern society to enjoy the benefits. Great testaments to his greatness are the awards that he had received.

In 1957, Robert Noyce had founded the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation in the city of Mountain View in California, which is the headquarters of one of the world’s search engines in the Internet. Fairchild Semiconductor was the very first company who succeeded in the silicon industry. Under his leadership, the company had many employees which reached to 11,000 and earning 12 million dollars in profits. You can actually compare his company to one of the world’s biggest, richest and most successful companies of the modern world.

In 1968, Noyce had left Fairchild Semiconductor and created his own company, Intel Corporation. But due to his perseverance and determination, the small company became the biggest company that you can see right now.

The microchip or the integrated circuit that Robert Noyce has developed had helped rename the California valley into the most celebrated Silicon Valley which produces millionaires, and seemingly endless silicon devices starting from personal computers to coffeemakers.

Aside from co-developing the microchip or the integrated circuit with Jack Kilby, Robert Noyce is also an important man in Silicon Valley’s history. A lot of people who personally know the man compare him to the calibers or Henry Ford and Thomas Alba Edison, but he still remains unknown to other people despite the big impact which his microchip had brought to the lives of people around the world.

Robert Noyce believed that the most important element of innovation is optimism, as no one will ever succeed if he just stays in his safe place and do not want change to take over security.

In 1990, this genius person had died at 62, but the impact of his inventions in the modern lives of a lot of people all around the world will remain forever. If the microchip or integrated circuit was not invented, what most people enjoy right now such as the Internet will not be present.

Due to his achievements, he had received numerous awards from people of influence and his peers from the academe as well as the industry. His great achievements are good testaments of what he had achieved during his lifetime. Noyce and his colleagues as well as his contemporaries had changed the world and making it what it appears right now.

The life of Robert Noyce, through his achievements and determination, led to impressive social, technical, economic and political shifts that have reshaped the United States during the second half of the twentieth century.