ECE Alumnus and Sirius Satellite Radio Co-Founder Receives AIAA Award

ECE alumnus Robert Briskman, the co-founder of SIRIUS Satellite Radio, received the 2007 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerospace Communications Award. The award, which was presented at the 25th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference in Seoul, South Korea on April 12, 2007, recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of aerospace communications. Briskman was honored for his pioneering efforts in developing the Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS), known widely today as satellite radio.

Briskman, who received an M.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Maryland in 1961, co-founded SIRIUS Satellite Radio in 1991. He served as Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice President, Engineering of SIRIUS and has been involved with communication satellite systems since their inception. As the technical innovator of mobile satellite radio services, he was responsible for the development, implementation and operation of SIRIUS' broadcast distribution system.

Over the past 32 years, Briskman directed the implementation of satellite telecommunications systems at COMSAT and NASA. He holds engineering degrees from University of Maryland and Princeton University and is a Fellow of IEEE and AIAA, the largest professional aerospace engineering society in the world. He has published over 50 technical papers, holds a number of patents, and has been inducted into the Space Foundation and SSPI Halls of Fame.

Published August 3, 2007