John M. Atalla 

John M. Atalla earned a master's degree and a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1947 and 1949, respectively, establishing a solid foundation for his groundbreaking contributions to the semiconductor industry. After his studies, Atalla joined AT&T Bell Laboratories, focusing on enhancing the reliability of electromechanical relays. In 1959, he achieved a monumental breakthrough by co-inventing the MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor), a pivotal advancement in electronics and the most frequently manufactured device in history. Three years later, Atalla co-founded Hewlett-Packard Associates, providing HP with crucial solid-state capabilities. In 1972, he founded Atalla Corporation, where he developed the "Atalla Box" – a revolutionary security system designed to encrypt PIN and ATM messages, integral to securing global ATM transactions. Renowned as one of the "Sultans of Silicon," Atalla significantly shaped the semiconductor industry. His contributions were recognized with a Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics in 1975 and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2009. Purdue awarded Atalla an honorary degree in 2003 and recently named the Atalla Institute for Advanced System Integration and Packaging for him.