The founder of SanDisk, Eli Harari, was named one of nine recipients of America’s 2014 National Medal of Technology and Innovation. He will be awarded the honor by President Obama at a White House Ceremony later this year.
The retired chairman & CEO of SanDisk is being recognized for his groundbreaking work at developing flash drive technology.
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Where would we be today without our flash drives. Most people do not even remember zip drives. And imagine if you still had to carry around a bulky case filled with CDs everywhere that you go.
Thanks to people like Eli Harari, we don’t. Now the tiny flash drives offer more and more storage capacity and soon we can expect to have miniature external hard drives.
In a statement naming this year’s medal recipients, President Barack Obama said, “These scholars and innovators have expanded our understanding of the world, made invaluable contributions to their fields, and helped improve countless lives. Our nation has been enriched by their achievements, and by all the scientists and technologists across America dedicated to discovery, inquiry, and invention.”
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created by statute in 1980 and is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognizes pioneers who have made lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness, quality of life, and have helped strengthen the nation’s technological workforce.
“We’re now connected in ways that would not be possible without the technologies that Eli helped pioneer and we’re well positioned to take on new market segments such as enterprise data centers, ” said Sanjay Mehrotra, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of SanDisk. “Eli has had a profound impact on the entire technology landscape, and in doing so, has truly changed the world as we experience it today. His lifelong intellectual and technical achievements are well-deserving of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.”
Dr. Harari co-founded SanDisk Corporation in 1988 and served as its Chief Executive Officer since June 1988 and Chairman of the Board since June 1, 2006. He retired in 2010.
He has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Solid State Sciences from Princeton University and a B.S. (Honors) degree in Physics from Manchester University.
