A. Richard Newton
Encyclopedia
Arthur Richard Newton was the dean of the University of California, Berkeley
College of Engineering
.
Newton was educated at the University of Melbourne
and received a BE
in 1973 and M.Eng.Sci
in 1975. He then went to Berkeley in 1975 to work on SPICE
(Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis), a program initially developed by Larry Nagel and Donald Pederson
to analyze and design complex electronic circuitry with speed and accuracy. It is claimed that nearly all electronic IC
's have been designed using SPICE or a derivative since the 1980s.
University of California, Berkeley awarded Newton a Ph.D in 1978 and unusually an Engineering Faculty position as well. He was appointed assistant professor in 1978, associate professor in 1982 and full professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences in 1985. He chaired the department from 1999 to 2000, and was dean of the College of Engineering and the Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering from 2000 until his death.
Robert Birgeneau
, Chancellor
of UC Berkeley described him as, "Dynamic and entrepreneurial, he understood the power of engineering and technology in entirely new ways, and he connected them to addressing society's toughest problems. The vibrancy of his thinking shaped my own ideas about what engineering is and what it can be. This[his death] is an enormous loss for us at UC Berkeley, for California, and indeed for the international engineering community."
He died at 55 due to pancreatic cancer
at the University of California, San Francisco
Medical Center. He was married to Petra Michel, and had two daughters, Neris Newton and Amrita Newton.
In February 2007 a professorship in his honour was established at Berkeley called the Dean A. Richard Newton Memorial Professorship. This was established with funding from the EDA Consortium and other friends, colleagues and corporate partners of Richard Newton. The Professorship will specifically advance the field of synthetic biology
, an emerging area in which he took a deep interest.
In July 2007, Microsoft announced an academic award program for new, innovative applications of information technology in the spirit of Richard's longtime ideal. He had been on the Microsoft Research Technical Advisory Board for many years.
. The University of Melbourne awarded him an LLD in 2003. He was member of the National Academy of Engineering
since 2004
, and in 2006, was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
College of Engineering
UC Berkeley College of Engineering
The College of Engineering is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. The College of Engineering is ranked second in the nation, after MIT, according to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings; It houses one of the most highly regarded and prestigious...
.
Newton was educated at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and received a BE
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
in 1973 and M.Eng.Sci
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1975. He then went to Berkeley in 1975 to work on SPICE
SPICE
SPICE is a general-purpose, open source analog electronic circuit simulator.It is a powerful program that is used in integrated circuit and board-level design to check the integrity of circuit designs and to predict circuit behavior.- Introduction :Unlike board-level designs composed of discrete...
(Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis), a program initially developed by Larry Nagel and Donald Pederson
Donald Pederson
Donald O. Pederson was an American professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the designers of SPICE, the canonical integrated circuit simulator.- Biography :...
to analyze and design complex electronic circuitry with speed and accuracy. It is claimed that nearly all electronic IC
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
's have been designed using SPICE or a derivative since the 1980s.
University of California, Berkeley awarded Newton a Ph.D in 1978 and unusually an Engineering Faculty position as well. He was appointed assistant professor in 1978, associate professor in 1982 and full professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences in 1985. He chaired the department from 1999 to 2000, and was dean of the College of Engineering and the Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering from 2000 until his death.
Robert Birgeneau
Robert Birgeneau
Robert Joseph Birgeneau is a Canadian physicist, educator, and university administrator. He is the ninth chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and was the fourteenth president of the University of Toronto from 2000 to 2004.-Biography:The first from his family to finish high school,...
, Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of UC Berkeley described him as, "Dynamic and entrepreneurial, he understood the power of engineering and technology in entirely new ways, and he connected them to addressing society's toughest problems. The vibrancy of his thinking shaped my own ideas about what engineering is and what it can be. This
He died at 55 due to pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
Medical Center. He was married to Petra Michel, and had two daughters, Neris Newton and Amrita Newton.
In February 2007 a professorship in his honour was established at Berkeley called the Dean A. Richard Newton Memorial Professorship. This was established with funding from the EDA Consortium and other friends, colleagues and corporate partners of Richard Newton. The Professorship will specifically advance the field of synthetic biology
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions...
, an emerging area in which he took a deep interest.
In July 2007, Microsoft announced an academic award program for new, innovative applications of information technology in the spirit of Richard's longtime ideal. He had been on the Microsoft Research Technical Advisory Board for many years.
Awards and recognition
He was the 2003 recipient of the Phil Kaufman AwardPhil Kaufman Award
Phil Kaufman Award is established by the EDA Consortium to recognize individuals for their impact on electronic design by their contributions to electronic design automation...
. The University of Melbourne awarded him an LLD in 2003. He was member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
since 2004
, and in 2006, was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.
External links
- Selected presentations and papers by Richard Newton and articles about him. List provided by UC Berkeley College of EngineeringUC Berkeley College of EngineeringThe College of Engineering is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. The College of Engineering is ranked second in the nation, after MIT, according to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings; It houses one of the most highly regarded and prestigious...
- Newton's CV
- Newton's New York Times obituary