Nobel Peace Prize Winnersin Physics

By Rachael Jefferson

CHARLES K. KAO "for groundbreaking achievements concerning the

transmission of light in fibers for optical communication"

Received ½ of the prize.

Kao was born in Shanghai, China on November 4, 1933. His family moved to Hong Kong in 1948 where he completed his secondary education at St. Joseph’s College.

He did his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic, obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree issued by the University of London.

WILLARD S. BOYLE "for the invention of an imaging

semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor"Received ¼ of the prize.

Boyle was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia on August 19, 1924. He was homeschooled till he was 14 years old and attended Montreal’s Lower Canada College to complete his secondary education.

He then attended McGill University before his education was interrupted when he decided to join the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.

GEORGE E. SMITH "for the invention of an imaging

semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor"

Received ¼ of the prize.

Smith is an American scientist who was born in White Plains, New York on May 10, 1930. He served in the US Navy and attended both University of Penn and University of Chicago to received his PhD.

He invented the CCD sensor device with Willard S. Boyle.