Australian scientist awarded for wifi technology

An Australian scientist has been awarded the prestigious Prime Minister's Prize for Science for 2009 for his wifi technology.

The technology, by John O'Sullivan, a scientist of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) now found in millions of laptops, printers, wireless access devices.

Australian Associated Press reports Wednesday this is one of Australia's most significant scientific breakthroughs, as Dr. O' Sullivan and his team found a way to speed up wireless networks in1992 - a problem that had previously kept international scientists stumped.

Dr O'Sullivan will receive 300,000 U.S. dollars at a gala event in Canberra on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the award recognized Dr O' Sullivan's major contribution to astronomy as well as his groundbreaking wifi technology.

"Their patented invention is now built into international standards and into computers, printers, smart phones and other devices used by hundreds of millions of people every day," Rudd said.

He called it one of the most significant achievements in CSIRO's 83-year history and said it illustrated how scientific research can be turned into real and practical solutions.

Source: Xinhua