Jack Schwartz
Encyclopedia
Jacob Theodore "Jack" Schwartz (January 9, 1930 – March 2, 2009) was an American
mathematician
, computer scientist, and professor of computer science at the New York University
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
. He was the designer of the SETL
programming language and the NYU Ultracomputer
. He founded the New York University Department of Computer Science, chairing it from 1964 to 1980.
He received his B.S. (1949) from the City College of New York
and his M.A. (1949) and Ph.D. (1951) from Yale University
. He was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1976, and to the National Academy of Engineering
in 2000.
His research interests included: the theory of linear operators, von Neumann algebra
s, quantum field theory
, time-sharing
, parallel computing
, programming language
design and implementation, robotics
, set-theoretic approaches in computational logic, proof and program verification systems; multimedia authoring tools; experimental studies of visual perception; multimedia and other high-level software techniques for analysis and visualization of bioinformatic data.
He authored 18 books and more than 100 papers and technical reports.
He served as Chairman of the Computer Science Department (which he founded) at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
, New York University
, from 1969 to 1977. He also served as Chairman of the Computer Science Board of the National Research Council
and was the former Chairman of the National Science Foundation
Advisory Committee for Information, Robotics and Intelligent Systems. From 1986 to 1989, he was the Director of DARPA's Information Science and Technology Office (DARPA/ISTO) in Arlington, Virginia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
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....
, computer scientist, and professor of computer science at the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences is an independent division of New York University under the Faculty of Arts & Science that serves as a center for research and advanced training in computer science and mathematics...
. He was the designer of the SETL
SETL
SETL is a very-high level programming language based on the mathematical theory of sets. It was originally developed by Jack Schwartz at the NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in the late 1960s....
programming language and the NYU Ultracomputer
Ultracomputer
The NYU Ultracomputer is a significant processor design in the history of parallel computing. The system has N processors, N memories and an N log N message-passing switch connecting them...
. He founded the New York University Department of Computer Science, chairing it from 1964 to 1980.
He received his B.S. (1949) from the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and his M.A. (1949) and Ph.D. (1951) from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1976, and to 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...
in 2000.
His research interests included: the theory of linear operators, von Neumann algebra
Von Neumann algebra
In mathematics, a von Neumann algebra or W*-algebra is a *-algebra of bounded operators on a Hilbert space that is closed in the weak operator topology and contains the identity operator. They were originally introduced by John von Neumann, motivated by his study of single operators, group...
s, quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
, time-sharing
Time-sharing
Time-sharing is the sharing of a computing resource among many users by means of multiprogramming and multi-tasking. Its introduction in the 1960s, and emergence as the prominent model of computing in the 1970s, represents a major technological shift in the history of computing.By allowing a large...
, parallel computing
Parallel computing
Parallel computing is a form of computation in which many calculations are carried out simultaneously, operating on the principle that large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which are then solved concurrently . There are several different forms of parallel computing: bit-level,...
, programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
design and implementation, robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, set-theoretic approaches in computational logic, proof and program verification systems; multimedia authoring tools; experimental studies of visual perception; multimedia and other high-level software techniques for analysis and visualization of bioinformatic data.
He authored 18 books and more than 100 papers and technical reports.
He served as Chairman of the Computer Science Department (which he founded) at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences is an independent division of New York University under the Faculty of Arts & Science that serves as a center for research and advanced training in computer science and mathematics...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, from 1969 to 1977. He also served as Chairman of the Computer Science Board of the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
and was the former Chairman of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Advisory Committee for Information, Robotics and Intelligent Systems. From 1986 to 1989, he was the Director of DARPA's Information Science and Technology Office (DARPA/ISTO) in Arlington, Virginia.
Publications
- Nelson Dunford, Jacob T. Schwartz Linear Operators, Part I General Theory ISBN 0-471-60848-3, Part II Spectral Theory, Self Adjoint Operators in Hilbert Space ISBN 0-471-60847-5, Part III Spectral Operators ISBN 0-471-60846-7
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Introduction to Matrices and Vectors, McGraw-Hill (1961)
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Lectures on the Mathematical Method in Analytical Economics, Gordon and Breach (1961)
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Relativity In Illustrations, New York University Press (1962)
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Theory of money (Mathematics and its applications), Gordon and Breach (1965)
- Jacob T. Schwartz, W-* algebras (Notes on mathematics and its applications), Gordon and Breach (1967), ISBN 978-0171787078
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Nonlinear Functional Analysis, Gordon and Breach (1968)
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Differential Geometry and Topology, Gordon and Breach (1969)
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Robert B. K. Dewar, Programming With Sets: An Introduction to Setl, Springer (November 1986), ISBN 978-0387963990
- Jacob T. Schwartz, The Limits of Artificial Intelligence, found in the Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence, 2 vols., John Wiley and Songs, 1987
- Jacob T. Schwartz, Mark Kac, and Gian-Carlo Rota, Discrete Thoughts: Essays on Mathematics, Science, and Philosophy, Birkhäuser Boston; 2nd edition (January 11, 2008), ISBN 978-0817647742
Awards and honors
- Recipient Wilbur Cross Medal, Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
- Townsend Harris Medal, City University of New York
- Mayor's Medal for Contributions to Science and Technology, New York City, 1986
- Leroy P. Steele Prize, American Mathematical SocietyAmerican Mathematical SocietyThe American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
, August 1981 (shared with N. Dunford) - Sloan Fellow, 1961–1962
- Distinguished Lecturer at the following Universities: University of California, Santa Barbara; Harvard University; MIT; Cornell University; University of Washington; University of Southern California; Trinity College, Dublin