![]() While creating new internet frontiers, Perlman found time to author and co-author two books. Essentially, the TRILL protocol expands on the work of STP to allow Ethernet to make optimal use of bandwidth. ![]() To improve STP, she began working on an updated version of it called TRILL (TRansparent Interconnection of Lots of Links). In the spirit of a true innovator, Perlman did not become complacent with her work. In the excitement of completing the STP algorithm, Perlman channeled her nervous energy into writing a poem about it. The development of STP has been critical to the successful growth of the internet, enabling technology that can create large networks with hundreds of thousands of nodes over a large area. STP configures Ethernet networks to deliver data and avoid loops. Perlman described this opportunity as “the perfect job in the perfect place at the perfect time.” It was at DEC that she made her defining discovery: the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). In 1980, Perlman joined Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) to design routing for DECnet, a network protocol developed to help computers better communicate with each other. It turned out that she loved the work, and 10 years later she returned to MIT to complete her doctorate in computer science. Eventually, a friend suggested she join a group at BBN Technologies designing network protocols. As a shy student, Perlman struggled to find a thesis adviser and found herself unable to enjoy graduate school. She stayed at MIT to earn her master’s degree in math, though the experience was not easy for her. Perlman observes children using the TORTIS Button Box, circa 1974-76. ![]() While still an undergraduate, Perlman worked as a part-time programmer writing system software for MIT’s Logo Group and even created the Toddlers Own Recursive Turtle Interpreter System (TORTIS) to help teach children about computer programming. She was able to master the technical aspects of program design in the same way that she learned to combine a scale of notes into a composition. Music and programming both require the ability to learn a new “language,” and Perlman’s study of music paralleled her study of programming concepts. You’re obviously bright, so I’m sure you can learn.” After telling him that she didn’t know how to program, he responded by saying, “Yes, I know. While taking a physics class, a teaching assistant asked her if she’d like to be a programmer for a project he was working on. It wasn’t until she was a sophomore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the 1970s that she saw the formerly unpleasant subject in a new light. Though initially it was an exciting opportunity, the experience proved discouraging for Perlman when she felt she could not keep up with the more advanced students in the class. Perlman was first introduced to computer programming in high school when a teacher took several students to a class at the Stevens Institute of Technology. To this day, she enjoys playing as an accompanist for others. I also loved writing, composing music and art.” At one point, she considered giving up on piano, until an elementary school chorus teacher chose her to play for the school choir. “I loved classical music and played piano and French horn. ![]() “I was interested in artsy things,” she explained. Her father worked on radar while her mother was a computer programmer, and although she always excelled at math and science, Perlman says she also had an affinity for other subjects. Perlman grew up in New Jersey, the daughter of two engineers. Thanks to an upbringing that encouraged her to explore different interests, she developed the ability to approach engineering in the same way she approached music: with a dedication to understanding the bigger picture. NIHF Inductee Radia Perlman breaks the mold of what a “typical” inventor’s story looks like and proves that there is no single path to success. One engineer in particular has used her aptitude for science and the arts to push the boundaries of invention. In actuality, the two fields have much more in common than what is typically realized. At a surface level, it seems there are few points of intersection. One involves maintaining the connectivity of computer networks while the other organizes sound across instruments. Network engineering and music are two disciplines that seem worlds apart. ![]()
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