Mover and Shaker in Hawaii

I just read this article in SB about Magdy F. Iskander. Now THIS is a mover and shaker for Hawaii’s tech industry, specializing in wireless communications. A few of his accomplishments:

• He has attracted $3 million of hard-to-get research money, established a unique antenna lab, had nine published research articles and is working with industries, schools, state and national agencies to produce the “next-generation entrepreneurs in telecommunications.”

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• He has eight patents, including three since coming here for wireless components or software for Motorola, Raytheon and Kyocera Wireless.
• Iskander also is working with the hospitality industry to bring international conferences here to contribute to the state economy. He was president of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society in 2002 and organized a conference here in 2003 on wireless communications. He’s planning a similar conference this year and is working up to a major event in 2007.

Now, mind you, this guy had a cushy job in Utah already:

Iskander had lived in Utah for 25 years and had the only endowed professorial chair at the university. He was comfortable and wasn’t thinking of leaving until visiting Hawaii in 2001, he said.

So what brought him here?

“Walking in Waikiki was just like home (Alexandria, Egypt).” he said. “It attracted me.”

(Same thing happened to me 20 yrs ago!)

It was nice to read an article like this and let me say “I’m glad you’re here”.