Ernst Guillemin
Encyclopedia
Ernst Adolph Guillemin was an American
electrical engineer and computer scientist
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
who spent his career extending the art and science of linear network analysis and synthesis.
and MIT, respectively. He then attended the University of Munich, under Arnold Sommerfeld
, on a Saltonstall Traveling Fellowship. He was granted his doctorate in 1926, whereupon he returned to MIT as an instructor, becoming Assistant Professor in 1928, Associate Professor in 1936, and Professor in Electrical Communications in 1944. In 1960, he was appointed to the MIT Edwin Sibley Webster Chair of Electrical Engineering, a title he held until his retirement in 1963.
On the invitation of Edward L. Bowles in 1928, Guillemin was invited to assist in the development of a communications option for undergraduate students. In this effort, he revised and expanded a subject that included communication transmission lines, telephone repeaters, balancing networks, and filter theory. Thus began his life-long career of developing and refining linear, lumped, finite, passive, and bilateral networks in the sphere of teaching.
Guillemin was appointed consultant to the Microwave Committee of the National Defense Research Committee
in 1940. As such, he spent about half of his time consulting with groups in the MIT Radiation Laboratory
. He took over administrative responsibility of the Communications Option in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering, in 1941.
During his career, Guillemin influenced many undergraduate and graduate students who went on to contribute greatly in industry and academia; included in the list are his graduate students Robert Fano
and Thomas Stockham
. His professional contributions were recognized internationally with numerous honors and awards.
Memberships
Honors
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electrical engineer and computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
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...
who spent his career extending the art and science of linear network analysis and synthesis.
Biography
Guillemin was born in 1898, in Milwaukee, and received his B.S. (1922) and S.M. (1924) degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and MIT, respectively. He then attended the University of Munich, under Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics...
, on a Saltonstall Traveling Fellowship. He was granted his doctorate in 1926, whereupon he returned to MIT as an instructor, becoming Assistant Professor in 1928, Associate Professor in 1936, and Professor in Electrical Communications in 1944. In 1960, he was appointed to the MIT Edwin Sibley Webster Chair of Electrical Engineering, a title he held until his retirement in 1963.
On the invitation of Edward L. Bowles in 1928, Guillemin was invited to assist in the development of a communications option for undergraduate students. In this effort, he revised and expanded a subject that included communication transmission lines, telephone repeaters, balancing networks, and filter theory. Thus began his life-long career of developing and refining linear, lumped, finite, passive, and bilateral networks in the sphere of teaching.
Guillemin was appointed consultant to the Microwave Committee of the National Defense Research Committee
National Defense Research Committee
The National Defense Research Committee was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the United States from June 27, 1940 until June 28, 1941...
in 1940. As such, he spent about half of his time consulting with groups in the MIT Radiation Laboratory
Radiation Laboratory
The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and functioned from October 1940 until December 31, 1945...
. He took over administrative responsibility of the Communications Option in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering, in 1941.
During his career, Guillemin influenced many undergraduate and graduate students who went on to contribute greatly in industry and academia; included in the list are his graduate students Robert Fano
Robert Fano
Robert Mario Fano is an Italian-American computer scientist, currently professor emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Fano is known principally for his work on information theory, inventing Shannon-Fano coding...
and Thomas Stockham
Thomas Stockham
Thomas Greenway Stockham was an American scientist who developed the first practical digital audio recording system, and pioneered techniques for digital audio recording and processing as well....
. His professional contributions were recognized internationally with numerous honors and awards.
Memberships
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe 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...
(1955) - Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical EngineersAmerican Institute of Electrical EngineersThe American Institute of Electrical Engineers was a United States based organization of electrical engineers that existed between 1884 and 1963, when it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .- History :The 1884 founders of the...
- Fellow of the Institute of Radio EngineersInstitute of Radio EngineersThe Institute of Radio Engineers was a professional organization which existed from 1912 until January 1, 1963, when it merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .-Founding:Following several attempts to form a...
- Foreign Fellow of the British Royal Society of ArtsRoyal Society of ArtsThe Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
Honors
- 1948 – President's Certificate of MeritPresident's Certificate of MeritThe President's Certificate of Merit was created June 6, 1946 by Executive Order 9734 signed by US President Harry Truman, "for award by the President or at his direction to any civilian who on or after December 7, 1941 , has performed a meritorious act or service which has aided the United States...
for his outstanding contributions during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... - 1961 – IRE Medal of Honor from the Institute of Radio EngineersInstitute of Radio EngineersThe Institute of Radio Engineers was a professional organization which existed from 1912 until January 1, 1963, when it merged with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .-Founding:Following several attempts to form a...
- 1962 – American Institute of Electrical Engineers Education Medal
- 1960 - Appointed the first Edwin Sibley Webster Professor
Publications
Ernst A. Guillemin has written several books:- 1931. Communication Networks (Wiley)
- 1935. Communication Networks: Vol. II The Classical Theory of Long Lines, Filters and Related Networks (Wiley)
- 1941. Notes for Principles of Electrical Communications 6.30 (MIT)
- 1944. The Mathematics of Circuit Analysis: Vol. 1 Reference Volumes for Collateral Study - Principles of Electrical Engineering Series (Department of Electrical Engineering, MIT)
- 1955. Introductory Circuit Theory (Wiley)
- 1960. Linear System Theory (Guillemin)
- 1962. Synthesis of Passive Networks Theory and Methods Appropriate to the Realization and Approximation Problems (Wiley)
- 1963. Theory of Linear Physical Systems: Theory of Physical Systems from the Viewpoint of Classical Dynamics, Including Fourier Methods (Wiley)
- 1963. Theory of Linear Physical Systems (Wiley)
- 1967. Synthesis of Passive Networks: Theory and Methods Appropriate to the Realization and Approximation Problems (Wiley)
- 1969. The Mathematics of Circuit Analysis: Extensions to the Mathematical Training of Electrical Engineers - Principles of Electrical Engineering Series (MIT)