SOFTWARE RADIO ENTREPRENEUR TO SPEAK IN CHICAGO

Chances are his last name may sound familiar to you. Vanu Bose is the son of world-famous Amar Bose of the Bose Corporation, legendary maker of stereo speakers and wave radios. Following in his father's entrepreneurial footsteps, Vanu Bose, 34, has launched his own high-tech startup specializing in a futuristic, new technology called software radio.

The younger Bose visits Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) February 2, 2004 , as part of IIT's continuing Thought Leaders Seminars. Bose will discuss “The Hard Sell: Marketing the Latest Breakthrough in the Wireless Revolution .” He will focus on the obstacles, successes and results of his company's field trials and the challenges of overcoming resistance to new, leading-edge technology.

While the technology is not expected to reach consumers for several more years, Bose's work on software-defined radios potentially represents a huge technological leap forward in the telecom industry. Instead of building different hardware for different systems, Bose's approach creates a single, general purpose platform to perform these functions by simply running a different software program. For example, one device could be re-programmed simply by clicking on an icon, to be an analog cellular phone, a digital phone, a cordless home phone or even a garage door opener or baby monitor.

Bose is the CEO of Massachusetts-based Vanu Inc., which he co-founded in 1998. His technology evolved out of research conducted at the SpectrumWare group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Bose earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Bose also obtained BS and MS degrees from MIT.

The lecture, open to the IIT community and the general public, begins at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, February 2, at The McCormick Tribune Campus Center Auditorium, 3201 S. State Street.

About Illinois Institute of Technology

Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 16 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.