David A. Huffman
Encyclopedia
David Albert Huffman was a pioneer in computer science
. He is well-known for his Huffman coding
. David Huffman died at the age of 74 after a 10-month battle with cancer.
from Ohio State University
and served then two years as officer in the United States Navy
. He went back to Ohio State to earn in 1949 his master’s degree in electrical engineering. In 1953 he collected his Doctor of Science
in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), with the thesis The Synthesis of Sequential Switching Circuits, advised by Samuel H. Caldwell
.
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. He is well-known for his Huffman coding
Huffman coding
In computer science and information theory, Huffman coding is an entropy encoding algorithm used for lossless data compression. The term refers to the use of a variable-length code table for encoding a source symbol where the variable-length code table has been derived in a particular way based on...
. David Huffman died at the age of 74 after a 10-month battle with cancer.
Education
Huffman earned in 1944 his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineeringElectrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and served then two years as officer in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He went back to Ohio State to earn in 1949 his master’s degree in electrical engineering. In 1953 he collected his Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT), with the thesis The Synthesis of Sequential Switching Circuits, advised by Samuel H. Caldwell
Samuel H. Caldwell
Samuel Hawks Caldwell was an American electrical engineer, known for his contributions to the early computers....
.
Awards and honors
- 1999: The IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal.
- 1998: A Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation from the IEEE Information Theory SocietyIEEE Information Theory SocietyThe IEEE Information Theory Society , formerly the IEEE Information Theory Group, is a professional society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers focused on several aspects of information: its processing, transmission, storage, and usage; and the "foundations of the...
, for "the invention of the Huffman minimum-length lossless data-compression code". - 1981: Charter recipient of the Computer Pioneer Award from the IEEE Computer SocietyIEEE Computer SocietyThe IEEE Computer Society is a professional society of IEEE. Its purpose and scope is “to advance the theory, practice, and application of computer and information processing science and technology” and the “professional standing of its members.” The CS is the largest of 38 technical societies...
. - 1973: The W. Wallace McDowell Award from the IEEE Computer Society.
- 1955: The Louis E. Levy Medal from the Franklin InstituteFranklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
for his doctoral thesis on sequential switching circuits.