David Ackerman, a Hopewell Borough resident, received a New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame Innovators Award at a banquet Oct. 22 at Hotel W in Hoboken. The award recognized lifetime achievement and innovations in the fields of telecommunication, optics and imaging.
After moving to New Jersey, Dr. Ackerman joined Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, where he conducted research and development in the field of quantum physics.
There, he designed, developed and patented numerous devices for use in optical telecommunication systems, including semiconductor lasers and systems for transmitting high-speed optical data. He grew in the telecom field, working im developing devices and systems that were deployed by ATT&T in large numbers; some, particularly high-speed single-frequency lasers, are still produced today by companies that inherited AT&T intellectual property.
In 2005, Dr. Ackerman joined SRI International to continue optical research, where his interests broadened into imaging and physical optics of visible and infrared cameras and their applications, such as biometrics.
