Blake Marshall, a Ph.D. student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), has been awarded the William C. Brown Fellowship. The William C. Brown Fellowship commemorates the “father of microwave power transfer”, Bill Brown (1916 – 1999), who had a prolific research career with Raytheon developing some of the world’s first systems that could transfer high power levels point-to-point through RF sources. His works are referenced today in many areas of engineering, from ultra-low energy RFID systems to high-powered, futuristic space solar power arrays that beam microwave energy back to earth.

The fellowship at Georgia Tech was brokered by Darel Preble, president of the Space Solar Power Institute, and supported, in part, by donations from members of the Brown family. Georgia Tech was chosen for this Fellowship due to its outstanding reputation in the area of microwave engineering and RF energy-harvesting.

Blake Marshall is the inaugural recipient of the Fellowship and was chosen by his advisor Professor Gregory Durgin for his accomplishments in the area of microwave power research. Mr. Marshall has co-invented and published on the staggered pattern charge collector (SPCC), a device for dramatically enhancing microwave power transfer in scenarios when the total available power is very low.  The technology promises to revolutionize microwave power transfer, energy-harvesting sensors, RFID, and other forms of low-power communications.

“The fact that Georgia Tech ECE was chosen for this endowment means that we are developing expertise in students that people outside the School really value. Tech has more research activity in RF energy harvesting and microwave power than any other institution out there and this award allows us to recognize talented students like Blake Marshall,” said Professor Durgin. “We don’t want to simply commemorate Bill—we want to continue his work.”

The award ceremony on October 13, 2013 featured a presentation by distinguished engineer and long- time colleague of Bill Brown, Dr. John M. Osepchuk. Also in attendance were Mr. Brown’s three daughters: Donna Salisbury, Barbara Brown, and Beth Logan.