Oct. 11, 2007 -- A team of engineering professionals in Applied Research at the former Communications Division of Motorola, Inc., whose work in squeezing components designed for bulky, car-mounted mobile radios into a hand-held device led to the creation of the first cellular telephone prototype, was presented with the 2007 GlobalSpec Great Moments in Engineering award yesterday, October 10.

Recipients were members of the 1972-1973 DynaTAC engineering team, who embarked on a project in December 1972 that helped shape telecommunications history. The project called for a three-dimensional model of a portable, hand-held telephone – including the creation of components small enough to fit into the handset – to be designed, assembled, tested and readied for demonstration in fewer than three months.

Their behind-the-scenes technical and component miniaturization accomplishments resulted in the DynaTAC, a portable, hand-held telephone demonstrated to the world in April 1973, and the precursor of today's cellular telephone. This is the first public recognition of their accomplishment.

GlobalSpec, a specialized search engine, information resource and e-publishing company for the engineering, industrial and technical communities, was host to a breakfast and award ceremony recognizing the 35th anniversary of this event at Millennium Park in Chicago. Jeff Killeen, chairman and CEO of GlobalSpec, presented the award.

"Thirty-five years ago, this talented and ingenious team of engineering professionals embarked on a project that would lead to an innovation so commonplace today that we rarely pause to reflect upon the extraordinary creativity it took to design and build it," said Killeen.

Members of the DynaTAC Motorola mobile phone engineering team: leader Donald Linder, (second from left, front) holds an original that this group designed in just six weeks 35 years ago. First row from left, Martin Cooper, Linder, Ken Larson, Jim Durante, Rudy Krolopp, Al Davidson, Richard Adlhoch. Second row, from left, Ronald Cieslak, George Opas, Jim Mikulski, Dan Brown. Third row, from left, Bruce Eastmond, Richard Kommrusch.

DynaTAC Primary Designer Donald Linder accepted the award on behalf of the DynaTAC engineering team. Also addressing attendees were John Walls, vice president of public affairs for CTIA (The Wireless Association) and Tracey Koziol, corporate vice president of Mid and High Tier Devices for Motorola, Inc.

The GlobalSpec Great Moments in Engineering award is presented annually to a person or group whose singular moment of engineering ingenuity produced a significant turning point for the application of technology and resulting benefits to people, science and industry. The 2005 award was presented to NASA engineers from April 1970 responsible for saving the lives of crew members during the harrowing flight of Apollo 13, while the 2006 award was given to members of the Jason Jr. engineering team in honor of the 20th anniversary of the first video survey of R.M.S. Titanic.