2018 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Helen-Jo and John E. Kelly III ’78G, ’80 Ph.D., D.H.L. (Hon.)

Dr. Kelly began his relationship with Rensselaer during his time as a graduate student, receiving a Master’s Degree in Physics in 1978 and a Doctorate in Materials Engineering in 1980.

 

Dr. Kelly began his 30-plus year career with International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) in 1980, and currently serves as senior vice president of Cognitive Solutions and Research. Dr. Kelly and his teams have been responsible for numerous technology breakthroughs over nearly four decades, including most recently – and perhaps most importantly – advancing the science of cognitive artificial / augmented intelligence (AI) …  Watson… a household name. This reignited the field of AI globally, which is now transforming every industry and aspect of life from financial services to healthcare.

 

While the Rensselaer/IBM partnership dates back decades to the revolutionary IBM System/360, first announced in 1964, Dr. Kelly has been instrumental in further cultivating the IBM/Rensselaer partnership that encompasses platforms such as the IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer, the Advanced Multiprocessing Optimized System, or AMOS—after Rensselaer founder Amos Eaton—the most powerful supercomputer at an American private university, the Jefferson Project at Lake George, and the Cognitive and Immersive Systems Laboratory, or CISL@EMPAC.

 

Dr. Kelly has been an esteemed member of the Rensselaer Board of Trustees since 2010.

 

He and his wife, Helen-Jo, have demonstrated a deep appreciation for Rensselaer students by establishing three endowed scholarships to date: the John E. Kelly III ’78 Scholarship, in 2001, the Nicholas M. Donofrio ’67 IBM Scholarship, in honor of his long-time friend and colleague, in 2010, and the Professor Minoru Tomozawa Scholarship, in honor of a respected Rensselaer faculty member, in 2010. Coupled with the Kelly’s support of the Patroon Scholars Program of the Rensselaer Annual Fund, their generous support of scholarship at Rensselear has provided opportunities for numerous students to attend Rensselaer.

 

Most recently, Dr. and Mrs. Kelly established an endowed fund to support the ongoing research within the Jefferson Project: the Helen-Jo and John E. Kelly III ’78 Data Visualization Laboratory, located at the Margaret A. and David M. Darrin ’40 Fresh Water Institute in Lake George.

 

It will come as no surprise that Dr. Kelly has been honored by Rensselaer Alumni Association for his service to the Institute, receiving the RAA Fellows Award in 2002, and the RAA Alumni Key Award in 2009. In 2006, Dr. Kelly also received the Rensselaer Davies Medal for Engineering Achievement. He and Helen-Jo are members of the Stephen Van Rensselaer Society of Patroons at Rensselaer, for their lifetime commitment to Rensselaer in excess of $1 million. Tonight, please join us as we further express our appreciation for the dedication, service, and generosity of Helen-Jo and John E. Kelly III ’78G, ’80 Ph.D.

Gail and Jeffrey L. Kodosky ’70

Jeffrey L. Kodosky ’70 earned his Bachelor’s Degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1970.

 

Not long after his graduation, in 1976, Mr. Kodosky co-founded National Instruments and subsequently served as the company’s vice president of research and development from 1980 until he was named a Business and Technology Fellow in 2000. Known as the “Father of LabVIEW” by engineers and scientists worldwide, Mr. Kodosky holds 68 patents associated with LabVIEW technology, and was inducted into the Electronic Design Engineering Hall of Fame for his invention.

 

In addition to the leadership and counsel Mr. Kodosky has provided as a member of the Institute Board of Trustees since 2002, he and Mrs. Kodosky lend their support to a variety of initiatives at Rensselaer. Perhaps their most transformative investment was that of the very first research constellation – a concept in its infancy at the time. Their belief in the vision of The Rensselaer Plan resulted in not only their unrestricted support of Rensselaer, but the establishment of the Gail and Jeffrey Kodosky ’70 Constellation in Physics, Information Technology, and Entrepreneurship, to further interdisciplinary research focused on energy conversion, future electronics, nano-sciences, and a broad range of other cutting-edge areas of inquiry, including cyber-based physics and science discovery.

 

As an accompaniment to this visionary gift, the Gail and Jeffrey L. Kodosky ’70 Lecture Series supports annual speakers in the areas of physics, information technology, and entrepreneurship.

 

Known for their enthusiastic patronage of the arts, Mr. and Mrs. Kodosky also have clearly demonstrated their passion for classical music through the Kodosky Foundation Fund for Classical Music, which has provided thousands of tickets to classical music performances for Rensselear students, faculty, and staff.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Kodosky are members of the 1824 Society of Patroons at Rensselaer for their lifetime commitments in excess of $10 million, and recipients of the prestigious Alis Aquilae Medal at Rensselaer. Mr. Kodosky has been twice recognized by Rensselaer Alumni Association, receiving the RAA Fellows Award in 1999, and the Albert Fox Demers Medal in 2002.

 

Tonight, please join us as we celebrate the selfless service, generous philanthropy, and enduring legacy established at Rensselaer by Gail and Jeffrey L. Kodosky ’70.