Recognizing Ross Freeman for His Contributions to Science

Floor Speech

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Ross Freeman for his historic contributions to the Scientific and Technological communities

One of the UP's very own, Mr. Freeman grew up on a farm near Engadine. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1969 and received his master's degree from the University of Illinois in 1971.

Mr. Freeman invented the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a computer chip which revolutionized programming as we know it. The FPGA created what came to be known as ``open gates,'' which allowed engineers brand new reprogramming capabilities to adapt to changing standards and specifications and make last second changes to designs.

Mr. Freeman further revolutionized the tech industry with his unique hypotheses and worked to make those customizable chips affordable for everyone.

His incredible life was unfortunately cut short at the age of 41, not long after his vision for the future began taking shape. However, his contributions to society are immense and will be remembered by proud Yoopers all across our great state.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Ross Freeman for his contributions to both the Scientific Community and our Nation as a whole.

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