Sometimes called the "
Bill Gates of
Africa," 42 year old Phillip Emeagwali is the developer of the world's fastest
computer, a chief officer behind the development of the Internet and a recipient of one of the most prestigious prizes in the computer field, The Gordon Bell Prize.
Philip's greatest success is a radical
computer he programmed to solve important problems. It's called the Connection Machine, it can work faster and do more work than any computer on Earth. It has earned him a place in computer history and several hundred million dollars to boot.
Currently a computer
scientist at University of Michigan, Emeagwali is a frequent expert guest on programs like
NPR and the BBC. Born into
poverty and
refugee camps in Nigeria the child prodigy won scholarships to OSU at age 17. He went on to earn several Master's degrees from GWU and University of Maryland.