Dr. Thomas Owusu Mensah, a Ghanaian-American chemical engineer renowned for his pioneering contributions to fiber optic technology, has passed away at the age of 74.
He died on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, following a brief illness at the Catholic Hope Exchange Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.
Dr. Mensah’s groundbreaking work is credited with revolutionizing the manufacturing process of fiber optic cables during his tenure at Corning Glass Works. His innovations rendered fiber optics more practical and cost-effective for data transmission purposes.
Previously constrained by speed and expense, Dr. Mensah’s advancements boosted production speeds to 20 meters per second by 1985, with further enhancements ensuing thereafter. This transformative breakthrough significantly slashed the cost of fiber optics, rendering them competitive alternatives to traditional copper cables.
Dr. Mensah’s impact transcended speed; his innovations in manufacturing processes also rendered fiber optic cables more cost-effective to produce, facilitating their widespread integration into modern communication systems.
His remarkable achievements garnered widespread recognition. Dr. Mensah received accolades from esteemed institutions such as the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and Ghana’s National Order of the Volta.