Global network infrastructure specialist Siemon on April 23 announced that Brian Celella, principle electrical engineer at Siemon Labs, has been named the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) 2020-2021 Edward Lohse Information Technology Medal winner.
Awarded by the ANSI board of directors, the Edward Lohse Information Technology Medal honors an individual who "has participated in the development of information technology standards both at the national and international levels, demonstrated leadership in the promotion of such standards within the information technology standards community, and fostered cooperation among the bodies involved in global standardization," according to ANSI.
Celella joined Siemon in 1998 as an electrical engineer, where he has played a key role in new product development and test methodology advancements, primarily focused on connector design and optimization of system channel performance. Through these efforts, Celella has contributed to seven Siemon patents and driven a wide array of key product innovations.
Siemon's announcement of the award added:
But as impressive as his work at Siemon has been, it is his work on behalf of the structured cabling industry as a whole that earned him this prestigious ANSI award.
Through his diligent standards work with the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Celella has helped to define Category 6, 6A, 7A, and Category 8.
In over two decades as a member of the TIA, he has prepared and presented 34 contributions to the TIA TR-42.7 Subcommittee – the key standards group developing telecommunications copper cabling component and system requirements for premises networks.
The company notes that Celella is the current TR-42.7 vice-chair, and has previously held leadership positions as chair of several TR-42.7 task groups including connecting hardware transverse conversion loss and, Category 8 cable and connecting hardware specifications.
Siemon's statement pointed out that Celella’s influence also reaches well beyond TIA. He has been a member of ISO/IEC JTC1 SC25 WG3 group responsible for standardization of cabling systems for customer premises as well as the associated USTAG for over a decade. He was the project leader for the third edition of the ISO/IEC 11801 document series specifying structured copper and optical fiber cabling systems. Celella is also an active member of IEC SC46C working to develop the next generation of copper cabling requirements.
As reckoned by Siemon and ANSI:
In recognizing his deep dedication and contributions to developing technologies and standards that ensure IT network interoperability, security and reliability for all, this award places Celella among the industry's most recognized and inspiring leaders.
“Brian’s imprint can truly be seen across our entire industry,” commented John Siemon, chief technical officer and VP of operations at The Siemon Company. “In addition to his considerable technical expertise, Brian has a unique ability to bring people together in developing standards that represent the best our industry has to offer. His calm and patient approach to resolving seemingly intractable technical debates encourages innovation and consensus around ‘win-win’ solutions that transform ideas and proposals to international standards. As much as his dedication and expertise has shaped so many successful Siemon product and system innovations, it is our industry that benefits most from his efforts. As someone who has the privilege of working with Brian over the past 23 years, I cannot think of a more deserving recipient."
