Andrew and Erna Viterbi and Technion

Andrew Viterbi and his late wife, Erna Finci Viterbi, have a long history of supporting the Technion and Israel. Among the couple’s many gifts to the Technion are Computech – the Andrew J. and Erna F. Viterbi Center for Advanced Studies in Computer Technology, the Andrew J. and Erna F. Viterbi Chair in Information Systems/Computer Science, the Andrew and Erna Finci Viterbi Fellowship Program, and the Viterbi Family Foundation Faculty Recruitment and Fellowship Program.

At home in the USA he has been active in the American Technion Society (ATS) receiving its highest honor – the Albert Einstein Award. He is a past member of both the ATS National Board of Directors and Board of Regents; past chapter president and chair of the ATS San Diego Chapter; and a past member of the ATS Western Region Board.

The year 1967 was a pivotal year in Dr. Viterbi’s life, he published the scientific paper outlining what was to be known as the Viterbi Algorithm that revolutionized the communications world. In the same year during a visit to Israel Dr. Viterbi delivered a series of lectures at Technion starting a powerful relationship that carried into the next millennium.

Dr. Viterbi has been a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Technion since 2000. He received a Technion Honorary Doctorate in 2000 and is a member of the Technion International Board of Governors. He is a Technion Guardian, a designation reserved for those who have reached the highest level of support of the institution.

In June 2015, Dr. Viterbi, announced an extraordinary gift to name the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, now known as The Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering. This generous gift secures and enhances the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s leadership position in electrical and computer engineering in Israel and globally.

On December 8, 2015 Technion honored him with the Technion Medal, its greatest recognition.