Apple co-founder Wozniak headlines ESC-Silicon Valley

MANHASSET, N.Y. -- Steve Wozniak remains busy on the talk circuit in the coming months with a “fireside chat” after his keynote at the Embedded Systems Conference in May, followed by a keynote at the Design Automation Conference in June.

The co-founder  of Apple Computer, Inc. and currently chief scientist at Fusion-io will address the ESC audience of embedded design engineers and managers with his idea of what “engineering is all about.” Wozniak, a Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for more than thirty years, has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products and influence on the design of the company's Macintosh.

Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators for his innovations.

Recently Wozniak was keynote speaker for the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance's annual Tech Index luncheon, where he called on some 600 local business and community leaders for "collaboration, not cutthroat competition, as a key to the growth of the region's high-tech sector", according to an article in the Sacramento Bee.

In 2000, Wozniak was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment.

Wozniak will also keynote at the 48th Design AUtomation Conference and will be interviewed on a range of topics, including the 'joy' of engineering. DAC runs June 5-10, 2011.
 
Another highlight of the ESC is keynoter Jeri Ellsworth, billed as an "American entrepreneur & self-taught computer chip designer" whi is to share her current Internet presence among the engineering community with a variety of videos on engineering experiments on her own YouTube channel.

Early in her entrepreneurial career, Ellsworth created a Commodore 64 emulator within a joystick, called Commodore 30-in-1 Direct to TV. She has an extensive range of interests which include pinball machines and race car chassis design. In her latest video (Energy Harvesting - Is It For Fools?) Ellsworth details energy harvesting in techno terms using commercial parts and circuits.

At ESC Wozniak will be featured Tuesday, May 3 - 9:30am - 10:00am. Ellsworth will deliver her keynote address Thursday, May 5 - 9:30am - 10:30am.

ESC Silicon Valley 2011, being held May 2–5, in San Jose, Calif., caters to embedded system designers. It is co-located with TI Technology Day-San Jose and the 6th Annual Multicore Conference and Expo.

An ESC SV 2011 highlight is the Embedded Market Study to be presented by David Blaza, Vice President, UBM Electronics, the parent company of EE Times.