Irving S. Reed
Encyclopedia
Irving Stoy Reed is a mathematician
and engineer
. He is best known for co-inventing a class of algebraic error-correcting and error-detecting codes known as Reed-Solomon codes in collaboration with Gustave Solomon
. He also co-invented the Reed-Muller code.
Reed has made many contributions to areas of electrical engineering
including radar
, signal processing
, and image processing
. He was part of the team that built the MADDIDA
, guidance system for Northrop
's Snark cruise missile - one of the first digital computers. He developed and introduced the now-standard Register Transfer Language
to the computer community while at M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory
Reed is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
(1979) and a Fellow of the IEEE
(1973), a winner of the Claude E. Shannon Award
, the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal (1989) and with Gustave Solomon
, the 1995 IEEE Masaru Ibuka Award. In 1998 Reed received a Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation from the IEEE Information Theory Society
.
graduate school of electrical engineering required doctoral students to pass an oral screening exam, in which there were eight categories of test questions. Reed always asked the questions about electromagnetism
and specifically Maxwell's equations
, which he obviously viewed as fundamental to communication theory
.
While a student in mathematics at the California Institute of Technology
, Reed did not complete his required physical education courses due to time pressure and was set to enter the Navy. The only way he could graduate was to obtain a special release from Robert A. Millikan, the university's president and a former physical education instructor as well as a Nobel Prize
winner and a noted hard-liner on the physical education requirement. Fortunately, as Reed was in Millikan's office pleading his case, he saw reprints of two papers he had published as an undergraduate on the president's table and drew them to Millikan's attention. Millikan smiled and said "You seem to me a healthy young man. I believe you will do well in the service of your country as a graduate of the California Institute of Technology."
Reed and colleagues demonstrated the MADDIDA computer to John Von Neumann
at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey
. The problem set for MADDIDA was computation of a mathematical function. Von Neumann, a noted lightning calculator, kept up with the computer and checked its results with a paper and pencil.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
. He is best known for co-inventing a class of algebraic error-correcting and error-detecting codes known as Reed-Solomon codes in collaboration with Gustave Solomon
Gustave Solomon
Gustave Solomon was a mathematician and engineer who was one of the founders of the algebraic theory of error-correction. He received Ph.D. in Mathematics at MIT in 1956 under direction of Kenkichi Iwasawa....
. He also co-invented the Reed-Muller code.
Reed has made many contributions to areas of electrical engineering
Electrical 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...
including radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, signal processing
Signal processing
Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...
, and image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
. He was part of the team that built the MADDIDA
Magnetic Drum Digital Differential Analyzer
The Magnetic Drum Digital Differential Analyzer was a computer built by Northrop Aircraft Corporation in 1950.MADDIDA had 44 integrators implemented using a magnetic drum with six storage tracks. The interconnections of the integrators were specified by writing an appropriate pattern of bits onto...
, guidance system for Northrop
Northrop
Northrop Corporation was a major United States aircraft manufacturer which merged with Grumman in 1994 to form Northrop Grumman.Northrop may also refer to:-Places:In the United States:* Northrop, Minnesota, a town...
's Snark cruise missile - one of the first digital computers. He developed and introduced the now-standard Register Transfer Language
Register Transfer Language
In computer science, register transfer language is a term used to describe a kind of intermediate representation that is very close to assembly language, such as that which is used in a compiler. Academic papers and textbooks also often use a form of RTL as an architecture-neutral assembly language...
to the computer community while at M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory
Lincoln Laboratory
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as...
Reed is a 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...
(1979) and a Fellow of the IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
(1973), a winner of the Claude E. Shannon Award
Claude E. Shannon Award
The Claude E. Shannon Award of the IEEE Information Theory Society was instituted to honour consistent and profound contributions to the field of information theory. Each Shannon Award winner is expected to present a Shannon Lecture at the following IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory...
, the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal (1989) and with Gustave Solomon
Gustave Solomon
Gustave Solomon was a mathematician and engineer who was one of the founders of the algebraic theory of error-correction. He received Ph.D. in Mathematics at MIT in 1956 under direction of Kenkichi Iwasawa....
, the 1995 IEEE Masaru Ibuka Award. In 1998 Reed received a Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation from the IEEE Information Theory Society
IEEE Information Theory Society
The 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...
.
Anecdotes
The University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
graduate school of electrical engineering required doctoral students to pass an oral screening exam, in which there were eight categories of test questions. Reed always asked the questions about electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
and specifically Maxwell's equations
Maxwell's equations
Maxwell's equations are a set of partial differential equations that, together with the Lorentz force law, form the foundation of classical electrodynamics, classical optics, and electric circuits. These fields in turn underlie modern electrical and communications technologies.Maxwell's equations...
, which he obviously viewed as fundamental to communication theory
Communication theory
Communication theory is a field of information and mathematics that studies the technical process of information and the human process of human communication.- History :- Origins :...
.
While a student in mathematics at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Reed did not complete his required physical education courses due to time pressure and was set to enter the Navy. The only way he could graduate was to obtain a special release from Robert A. Millikan, the university's president and a former physical education instructor as well as a Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner and a noted hard-liner on the physical education requirement. Fortunately, as Reed was in Millikan's office pleading his case, he saw reprints of two papers he had published as an undergraduate on the president's table and drew them to Millikan's attention. Millikan smiled and said "You seem to me a healthy young man. I believe you will do well in the service of your country as a graduate of the California Institute of Technology."
Reed and colleagues demonstrated the MADDIDA computer to John Von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. The problem set for MADDIDA was computation of a mathematical function. Von Neumann, a noted lightning calculator, kept up with the computer and checked its results with a paper and pencil.