Fiber Optic Essentials

Dr. Casimer DeCusatis is an IBM Distinguished Engineer and technical executive based in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He currently serves as Chief Technology Officer for IBM Systems Networking Strategic Alliances, and has played a leading role in developing data center network and I/O solutions, including extended distance connectivity. He is an IBM Master Inventor with over 100 patents, and recipient of several industry awards, including the IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award, the Sigma Xi Walston Chubb Award for Innovation, the EDN Innovator of the Year Award, the Mensa Research Foundation Copper Black Award for Creative Achievement, the Penn State Outstanding Scholar Alumnus Award, and the IEEE/HKN Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer award (including a citation from the President of the United States and an American flag flown in his honor over the U.S. Capitol). He is co-author of more than 120 technical papers, book chapters, and encyclopedia articles, and editor of the Handbook of Fiber Optic Data Communication (now in its 4rd edition). He is a member of the IBM Academy of Technology and co-leader of the Academy study "Innovation Ecosystems. Dr. DeCusatis received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, N.Y.) in 1988 and 1990, respectively, and the B.S. degree magna cum laude in the Engineering Science Honors Program from the Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA) in 1986. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, Optical Society of America, and SPIE (the international optical engineering society), a member of the Order of the Engineer, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Mensa, and various other professional organizations and honor societies (decusatis.net/casimer/ ); he was recognized as one of Sigma Xi's Distinguished Members during their 125th anniversary celebration. He is also Founder and Director of Hudson Valley FIRST Lego League (facebook.com/HudsonValleyFLL) which offers over 1,000 students each year the opportunity to pursue their interest in science and technology. His discussions on data networking are available on Twitter (@Dr_Casimer) or his data networking blog (www-304.ibm.com/connections/blogs/DCN/ ).