The winner will be announced April 9, based on voting by the technology community in an open poll at www.ednmag.com/ednmag/reg/2001/03012001/05df1.htm.

"Teresa's practical research has been the foundation of a new technology that will have a major impact in wireless networking. Essentially, she has re-architected the radio," said Rich Redelfs, president and CEO of Atheros. "For the first time, very fast, reliable, wireless communications between electronic devices has become both technically and economically feasible."

Based on Dr. Meng's groundbreaking work, Atheros is driving the development of next-generation wireless local area network (LAN) systems based on its unique Radio-on-a-Chip networking technology that will make possible transparent connectivity between all computing, communications, video and audio devices in the office, in the home, and in public places. The fast, highly integrated, low-cost Atheros AR5000 chipset represents a significant breakthrough over far slower, more complex and more expensive existing products.

Dr. Meng is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford University. She has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 1988 and has over 15 years of experience in data communications and low-power design. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her technical accomplishments from both the government and private sectors, including the National Science Foundation, the IEEE Signal Processing Society, the Office of Naval Research, the University of California at Berkeley, IBM and AT&T. Dr. Meng has published more than 200 technical articles in journals and for conferences. She received a Ph.D. and master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in the department of electrical engineering and computer sciences; and a Bachelor of Science degree from the National Taiwan University.

EDN magazine's 2000 EDN Innovation Awards program, now in its 11th year, is dedicated to honoring outstanding professionals and products in the electronics industry. EDN's Innovator of the Year Award recognizes electronics engineers or engineering teams for innovation in product design or technical leadership. Electronics industry professionals nominate innovative products and individuals.

Details on all finalists can be found in the March 1, 2001, issue of EDN and on the EDN Access website (www.ednmag.com). Winners will be determined by votes cast between March 1 and March 15 via an online ballot at the website. Winners will be announced and awards presented on April 9, 2001, at EDN's Innovation and Innovator of the Year Awards Ceremony at the Pan Pacific Hotel in San Francisco. The other EDN Innovator of the Year finalists are Casimer DeCusatis, Ph.D., of IBM; and Jim Everitt of Clare Micronix.

"As a leading provider of wireless location products and integration services for telematics, intelligent transportation systems, automatic vehicle location and public safety, we are integrating 802.11a into our existing product lines," says Dr. Khaled Dessouky, CTO of TechnoCom Corporation. "And as active participants in the DSRC Standards Writing Group and independent evaluators of DSRC technologies, we have been impressed by the performance of the Atheros AR5000-based products in the demanding DSRC environments."

About Atheros Communications, Inc.

Atheros Communications was founded in May 1998 by leading experts in radio and signal processing from Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and private industry. The company's founding mission is to provide wireless networking technologies that drive transparent connections between all computing, communications, audio and video devices in the office and the home. Funded by venture capital firms August Capital, Foundation Capital and New Enterprise Associates, Atheros currently employs 100 people and has filed more than 35 wireless technology patents.

For press and analyst inquiries contact: Cheryl Patstone, 408-773-5344, cheryl@atheros.com or Greg Wood, A&R Partners, 650-762-2838, gwood@arpartners.com.