Why Grow Water Lilies in Colorado?
“Why grow Giant Victoria Water lilies in Boulder, Colorado?” Butch Weaver ’76, SM ’78 laughs. “Victorias, also called Irupe, really are marvels of engineering. A single petal grows to a 4 to 5 foot spiral and produces a flower with a scent of over-ripe pineapple. They’re spectacular.” The search for a hardy version of this Argentinean botanical treasure has the right stuff to engage Weaver: a cool systems problem to crack, lots of hands-on involvement, and the potential for a great result. This pattern comes up regularly in his career and personal passions since he earned his electrical engineering degrees at MIT. As executive VP of engineering at Qualcomm Corporation, Weaver oversees research projects at their Engineering Design Center in Boulder. He was part of the renowned Qualcomm engineering team that pioneered CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technologies that revolutionized cellular wireless communications. Use a Verizon or Sprint cell phone? His name is on many of those pat
“Why grow Giant Victoria Water lilies in Boulder, Colorado?” Butch Weaver ’76, SM ’78 laughs. “Victorias, also called Irupe, really are marvels of engineering. A single petal grows to a 4 to 5 foot spiral and produces a flower with a scent of over-ripe pineapple. They’re spectacular.” The search for a hardy version of this Argentinean botanical treasure has the right stuff to engage Weaver: a cool systems problem to crack, lots of hands-on involvement, and the potential for a great result. This pattern comes up regularly in his career and personal passions since he earned his electrical engineering degrees at MIT. As executive VP of engineering at Qualcomm Corporation, Weaver oversees research projects at their Engineering Design Center in Boulder. He was part of the renowned Qualcomm engineering team that pioneered CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technologies that revolutionized cellular wireless communications. Use a Verizon or Sprint cell phone? His name is on many of those pat
