Marian Croak: A Look at Her Communications Platform VoIP and More
Gone are the days when people had to depend on rotary dial phones to contact loved ones. With today's flourishing state-of-the-art technologies, it’s hard to miss out on things. And that’s all thanks to Marian Croak and her team at AT&T for creating one of the most used technologies in the world, the Voice Over Internet Protocol. With just a few taps, you can automatically connect with people around the world.
We explore the innovative work of Marian and her great contribution to the STEAM fields, specifically in Technology and Engineering.
Marian Croak
Marian Croak was born on May 14, 1955, a year when radios, television, and telephones were the primary modes of communication. Growing up, she had a very unconventional childhood as she was given the freedom to explore and discover different technologies and innovations to satisfy her curiosity.
Photo source: Invent.org
At a young age, Marian was drawn to problem-solving and critical thinking. She was inquisitive and questioned electricians and plumbers who visited her house to fix pipes and broken lines. Filled with curiosity, she asked questions and sought answers to figure out how things worked. She was intrigued by learning how to repair objects and innovate new products which inspired her to pursue a career in engineering and technology.
In 1982, Marian started a career at AT&T Bell Laboratories, an industrial research and scientific development company. There, she developed a technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which converts voice data into digital signals suitable for internet transmission.
“Just keep going. Don’t listen to them, just keep going as fast as you can.”
At that time, most of the people in the company did not believe that VoIP was possible but Marian did and she received support from someone on her leadership team that truly inspired her, “Just keep going. Don’t listen to them, just keep going as fast as you can.” These were the words she took to heart and mind, helping her continue to develop VoIP.
Today, Marian has over 200 patents to her name for her innovation. Alongside her successful technology development, she garnered multiple awards including the 2013 and 2014 Edison Patent Awards. In 2013, she also became one of the first two Black women to be inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame.
Voice Over Internet Protocol
Have you used Zoom recently? If so, then you’re utilizing one of the greatest technologies behind it, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which enables you to make voice calls over the Internet rather than a traditional phone line.
Photo source: Common Sense Media
But how exactly does it work? Consider it like sending a letter. When you speak, sound waves are created, which are then broken down into bits - almost like data - and placed in an envelope. These messages are sent across the internet and are unpacked once they reach the recipient. With VoIP, users can make a call through their laptop, smartphone, and any mobile device. Aside from Zoom, other applications like Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber also use VoIP.
Marian’s Technology Impacts People’s Lives
Marian gets motivated to solve people’s problems using technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, VoIP made communicating much easier both for business and personal needs. Many organizations that function remotely benefit from the technology, as it allows teams to collaborate efficiently.
Marian led her team to extend broadband to developing countries creating meaningful changes around the globe. She is also an advocate for racial justice and gender representation in STEM, encouraging women and young girls to pursue engineering.
Marian is a strong and courageous leader who has accomplished what others have been afraid and unable to do. Despite the challenges she has faced she remained determined to create innovations. Marian expects failure during the process of discovery but she takes these opportunities to learn and determine how to make improvements.