Lynn Ann Conway
Personal Information
Born: 1938
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
MIT, Physics, 1955-59; Columbia University, BS 1962 & MSEE 1963, Electrical Engineering
Professional Life
Field of Study: Electrical Engineering; Computer Science; Transgender activist
Institution/Corporation: IBM, Memorex, Xerox PARC, DARPA, University of Michigan
Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degrees: Trinity College, (1980), Illinois Institute of Technology (2014), University of Victoria (2016), University of Michigan (2018); Member: National Academy of Engineering (1989), Corp, Emerita, The Charles Stark Draper Lab (1993-2010); Computer History Museum Fellow (2014); Fellow IEEE (1985)
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1984, Harold Pender Award (with Carver Mead); 1085, John Price Wetherill Medal (w/Mead); 1985, Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award; 2009, Computer Pioneer Award, IEEE Computer Society; 2015, IEEE/RSE James Clerk Maxwell Medal; 2009, named 1 0f Stonewall 40 Trans Heroes; 2014, named 1 of 21 Transgender People Who Influenced American Culture, Time Magazine; 1981, Electronics Award for Achievement (w/Mead); 1984, IEEE EAB Major Educational Innovation Award; 1990, National Achievement Award, SWE; 1996, Presidential Appointment to the USAF Academy Board of Visitors; 2002, Electronics Design Hall of Fame; 2005, Engineer of the Year, National Organization of Gay & Lesbian Scientists & Technical Professionals; 2014, Fellow Award, Computor History Museum; 2016, Fellow Award, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); 2019, Pioneer in Tech, National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT); 2020, Lifetime Achievement Award, IBM Corporation; 2023, National Inventors Hall of Fame
Achievements: Very Large-Scale Integration (Mead-Conway VLSI chip design); founded multiproject wafers (MPW); 1981, institutionalized Metal Oxide Semiconductor Implementation Services (MOSIS); while at DARPA was a key architect of the Defense Dept s Strategic Computing Initiative; with Mead wrote the text book for chip design; invented an internet-based e-commerce infrastructure for rapid chip-prototyping in 1979
Is a transgender activist
While working at IBM in the 1960s invented generalized dynamic instruction handling
Initiated the Mead-Conway VLSI chip design revolution in very large scale integration (VLSI) microchip design
1968, was fired by IBM after revealing her intention to transition; IBM apologized in 2020
After transition in 1968, took a new name & identity & restarted her career
1973, joined Xerox PARC & founded the "multiproject wafers" (MPW)
Revolutionalized chip design & chip tools
2012, IEEE published a special issue of IEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine devoted to her career
Went public with her transgender story in 2000; maintains a website to support others in their transition by providing medical information, maintaining lists of successful transgender people, providing news related to transgender issues & transgender & transexual issues in general
Was a cast member in the 1st all-transgender performance of The Vagina Monologues in LA in 2004
Holds 5 patents