Jay Wright Forrester
Encyclopedia
Jay Wright Forrester is a pioneer American
computer engineer, systems scientist and was a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management
. Forrester is known as the founder of System Dynamics
, which deals with the simulation of interactions between objects in dynamic systems.
, Nebraska
. His early interest in electricity was possibly spurred by the fact that the ranch had none. While in high school, he built a wind-driven 12-volt electrical system using old car parts—it gave the ranch its first electric power.
After finishing high school, he had received a scholarship to go to the Agricultural College. Three weeks before enrolling, he realized a future of herding cattle in Nebraska winter blizzards had never appealed to him. So in 1936 he enrolled in the Engineering College at the University of Nebraska to study electrical engineering
. As it turns out this study was about the only academic field with a solid, central core of theoretical dynamics
.
After finishing the University in 1939 he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, to become a research assistant and eventually spend his entire career. In his first year at MIT he was commandeered by Gordon S. Brown
who was the pioneer in "feedback control systems
" at MIT. During WWII his work with Gordon Brown was in developing servomechanism
s for the control of radar antennas and gun mounts. This work was research toward a practical end that ran from mathematical theory to the operating field. Experimental units were installed on the USS Lexington
, and, when they stopped working, he volunteered to go to Pearl Harbor in 1942. He fixed the problem when the ship sailed off-shore during the invasion of Tarawa.
At the end of the war, at MIT, Forrester in 1944 began development of an advanced aircraft
flight simulator
. The simulator, originally conceived as an analog computer
, evolved to become the Whirlwind
digital computer for experimental development of military combat information systems. Around 1949, the Navy was losing interest in Whirlwind and considered scrapping it. Then, in August, the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb. Relations between the US and its former ally had so deteriorated that this event inspired alarm throughout the government, and people in the military realized that computers would be essential in the defense of the country now that the USSR had the capacity to attack from afar. Whirlwind, as the Navy's most advanced computer, suddenly looked good again.The Air Force, faced with the complexities of ground-controlled intercept, then entered the picture. Whirlwind then, in turn, evolved to become SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), the central albeit distributed locus of NORAD's air defense command, control, communication and intercept system for North America. Forrester continued his research in electrical and computer engineering until 1956. By then he felt the pioneering days in digital computers were over and he left engineering
to go into management
.
In 1956, Forrester moved to the MIT Sloan School of Management
, where he is currently Germeshausen Professor Emeritus and Senior Lecturer. Application of his engineering view of electrical systems to the field of human systems would break new ground. Forrester focused on concrete experimental studies of organizational policy. He used computer simulations to analyze social systems and predict the implications of different models. This method came to be called "system dynamics," and Forrester came to be recognized as its creator.
In 1982, he received the IEEE
Computer Pioneer Award. In 1989, he received the National Medal of Technology
. In 1995 he was made a Fellow of the Computer History Museum
. In 2006, he was inducted into the Operational Research Hall of Fame.
, which deals with the simulation of interactions between objects in dynamic systems.
Jay Forrester is also known for his researches that led to the modern idea of supply chain management. During the late 1950s Forrester and his colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed many ideas and theories that later became the cornerstones of supply chain management.
Articles and papers, a selection:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer engineer, systems scientist and was a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
. Forrester is known as the founder of System Dynamics
System dynamics
System dynamics is an approach to understanding the behaviour of complex systems over time. It deals with internal feedback loops and time delays that affect the behaviour of the entire system. What makes using system dynamics different from other approaches to studying complex systems is the use...
, which deals with the simulation of interactions between objects in dynamic systems.
Biography
Forrester was born in 1918 on a cattle ranch near AnselmoAnselmo, Nebraska
Anselmo is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 159 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Anselmo is located at ....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. His early interest in electricity was possibly spurred by the fact that the ranch had none. While in high school, he built a wind-driven 12-volt electrical system using old car parts—it gave the ranch its first electric power.
After finishing high school, he had received a scholarship to go to the Agricultural College. Three weeks before enrolling, he realized a future of herding cattle in Nebraska winter blizzards had never appealed to him. So in 1936 he enrolled in the Engineering College at the University of Nebraska to study 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...
. As it turns out this study was about the only academic field with a solid, central core of theoretical dynamics
Dynamical system
A dynamical system is a concept in mathematics where a fixed rule describes the time dependence of a point in a geometrical space. Examples include the mathematical models that describe the swinging of a clock pendulum, the flow of water in a pipe, and the number of fish each springtime in a...
.
After finishing the University in 1939 he went to 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...
, to become a research assistant and eventually spend his entire career. In his first year at MIT he was commandeered by Gordon S. Brown
Gordon S. Brown
Gordon Stanley Brown was a professor of electrical engineering at MIT. He originated many of the concepts behind automatic-feedback control systems and the numerical control of machine tools. From 1959 to 1968, he served as the dean of MIT's engineering school. With his former student Donald P...
who was the pioneer in "feedback control systems
Control theory
Control theory is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and mathematics that deals with the behavior of dynamical systems. The desired output of a system is called the reference...
" at MIT. During WWII his work with Gordon Brown was in developing servomechanism
Servomechanism
thumb|right|200px|Industrial servomotorThe grey/green cylinder is the [[Brush |brush-type]] [[DC motor]]. The black section at the bottom contains the [[Epicyclic gearing|planetary]] [[Reduction drive|reduction gear]], and the black object on top of the motor is the optical [[rotary encoder]] for...
s for the control of radar antennas and gun mounts. This work was research toward a practical end that ran from mathematical theory to the operating field. Experimental units were installed on the USS Lexington
USS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
, and, when they stopped working, he volunteered to go to Pearl Harbor in 1942. He fixed the problem when the ship sailed off-shore during the invasion of Tarawa.
At the end of the war, at MIT, Forrester in 1944 began development of an advanced aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
. The simulator, originally conceived as an analog computer
Analog computer
An analog computer is a form of computer that uses the continuously-changeable aspects of physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the problem being solved...
, evolved to become the Whirlwind
Whirlwind (computer)
The Whirlwind computer was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is the first computer that operated in real time, used video displays for output, and the first that was not simply an electronic replacement of older mechanical systems...
digital computer for experimental development of military combat information systems. Around 1949, the Navy was losing interest in Whirlwind and considered scrapping it. Then, in August, the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb. Relations between the US and its former ally had so deteriorated that this event inspired alarm throughout the government, and people in the military realized that computers would be essential in the defense of the country now that the USSR had the capacity to attack from afar. Whirlwind, as the Navy's most advanced computer, suddenly looked good again.The Air Force, faced with the complexities of ground-controlled intercept, then entered the picture. Whirlwind then, in turn, evolved to become SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), the central albeit distributed locus of NORAD's air defense command, control, communication and intercept system for North America. Forrester continued his research in electrical and computer engineering until 1956. By then he felt the pioneering days in digital computers were over and he left engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
to go into management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
.
In 1956, Forrester moved to the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, where he is currently Germeshausen Professor Emeritus and Senior Lecturer. Application of his engineering view of electrical systems to the field of human systems would break new ground. Forrester focused on concrete experimental studies of organizational policy. He used computer simulations to analyze social systems and predict the implications of different models. This method came to be called "system dynamics," and Forrester came to be recognized as its creator.
In 1982, he received 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...
Computer Pioneer Award. In 1989, he received the National Medal of Technology
National Medal of Technology
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology...
. In 1995 he was made a Fellow of the Computer History Museum
Computer History Museum
The Computer History Museum is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View, California, USA. The Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the stories and artifacts of the information age, and exploring the computing revolution and its impact on our lives.-History:The museum's origins...
. In 2006, he was inducted into the Operational Research Hall of Fame.
Work
Forrester is the founder of System DynamicsSystem dynamics
System dynamics is an approach to understanding the behaviour of complex systems over time. It deals with internal feedback loops and time delays that affect the behaviour of the entire system. What makes using system dynamics different from other approaches to studying complex systems is the use...
, which deals with the simulation of interactions between objects in dynamic systems.
Jay Forrester is also known for his researches that led to the modern idea of supply chain management. During the late 1950s Forrester and his colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed many ideas and theories that later became the cornerstones of supply chain management.
See also
- Magnetic core memoryMagnetic core memoryMagnetic-core memory was the predominant form of random-access computer memory for 20 years . It uses tiny magnetic toroids , the cores, through which wires are threaded to write and read information. Each core represents one bit of information...
- DYNAMO (programming language)DYNAMO (programming language)DYNAMO was a simulation language and accompanying graphical notation developed within the system dynamics analytical framework...
Publications
Forrester has written several books, articles and papers. Books, a selection:- 1961. Industrial dynamics. Waltham, MA: Pegasus Communications.
- 1968. Principles of Systems, 2nd ed. Pegasus Communications.
- 1969. Urban Dynamics. Pegasus Communications.
- 1971. World Dynamics. Wright-Allen Press.
- 1975. Collected Papers of Jay W. Forrester. Pegasus Communications.
Articles and papers, a selection:
- 1958. "Industrial Dynamics--A Major Breakthrough for Decision Makers.", in: Harvard Business Review, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 37–66.
- 1968, Market Growth as Influenced by Capital Investment.
- 1971, Counterintuitive Behavior of Social Systems..
- 1989, System Dynamics and the Lessons of 35 Years.
- 1991, The Beginning of System Dynamics.
- 1992, System Dynamics and Learner-Centered-Learning in Kindergarten through 12th Grade Education.
- 1994, Learning through Systems Dynamics as preparation for the 21st Century.
- 1996, System Dynamics and K–12 Teachers.
- 1998, Designing the Future.
- 1999, System Dynamics: the Foundation Under Systems Thinking.
External links
- Oral history interview with Jay W. Forrester, Charles Babbage InstituteCharles Babbage InstituteThe Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
, University of Minnesota. - Selected papers by Forrester.
- Video lecture on Systems Dynamics by Forrester