In Madrid es Ciencia Alcatel-Lucent showcases one of the most revolutionary inventions in history: the transistor

Madrid, April 2008 — Commemorating the 60th anniversary of an invention that has changed the world we live in, the transistor, Alcatel-Lucent is offering the people of Madrid a closer view of the history of this revolutionary creation to during the IX edition of Madrid es Ciencia, the exhibition taking place from 24th to 27th of April in the IFEMA.

The visitors of this exhibition in Alcatel-Lucent’s IFEMA booth will learn about the background, creation, characteristics and evolution of the transistor, invented in 1947 by Kelly, Brattain and Shockley, researchers of Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent’s research institution. Bell Labs continues to be a leading research institution in telecommunications and is the source of many of the key technologies that enable today’s communications age - such as digital signal processor, the laser, optical fiber communications, the UNIX operating system, satellite communications, and mobile telephony.

This Alcatel-Lucent exhibition showcases videos, images and explanatory texts about the birth of the first transistor, the research documents and its inventors who were awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956, and opened the way for a new science: solid state electronics. The show is completed with a brief review of the main historic events at the times of this invention and a look to the history of communications. The visitors of this exhibition devoted to spreading knowledge in science and technology will be able to test their knowledge about the transistor participating in a quiz with a brief interactive questionnaire.

Tomás Sanjuán, Alcatel-Lucent’s Director Institutional Relations in Spain, said: “Alcatel-Lucent is committed to support social development through advanced solutions that change the way the world communicates. One of the critical parts of this is to transfer our know-how to the communities where we develop our activities. The participation in this exhibition, among one of the most relevant events in spreading sciences in Europe, is a perfect venue to show the genesis and evolution of the transistor and is a proof of this social commitment and a clear example of what the impact of fundamental science and research can make on society.”

Alcatel-Lucent’s exhibition about the invention of the transistor can be seen in the booth n.19 at IFEMA from 24th to 27th of April.