Photo: Marconi Society
Andrea Goldsmith, an innovator in the improvement of wireless networks, has won this year's Marconi Prize, one of the highest honors in the telecom industry.
Why it matters: Goldsmith, who has helped WiFi and cellular networks adapt to changing conditions, is the first woman to get the award in its 45-year history.
Driving the news: A co-founder of mesh networking startup Plume, Goldsmith has 29 patents and wrote the book when it comes to her field. Her textbook, "Wireless Communications," is used in engineering schools around the world.
- Goldsmith plans to donate the $100,000 prize money back to the Marconi Society to launch an endowment that will fund technology and diversity initiatives.
- "I want to inspire diverse people to pursue engineering and to ensure that everyone who is creating these technologies has the same path to success and recognition," Goldsmith told Axios. "We need perspectives from the brightest minds in the world."