John N. Warfield
Encyclopedia
John Nelson Warfield is an American systems scientist, who was professor and director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Integrative Sciences (IASIS) at George Mason University
.
, and studied at the University of Missouri
in Columbia. Originally he majored in chemistry
and minored in mathematics
, but his studies were interrupted by World War II
. After basic training in the U. S. Army Infantry, the Army put him in a specialized training program to study electrical engineering
, which he found very interesting, especially electronics and communications. After the war he completed his original undergraduate program and continued on to get advanced degrees in electrical engineering
. He received the Bachelor of Arts in 1948, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1948, and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1949 from the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. He received the Doctor of Philosophy degree from Purdue University
, West Lafayette, Indiana
in 1952. His major was electrical engineering
with a specialty in communications engineering.
He has about 10 years of industrial experience with these firms: Wilcox Electric Company, Battelle Memorial Institute, and Burroughs Corporation. His industrial experience included theoretical and experimental research, electronic development and reliability testing of navigational equipment for jet aircraft. His longest service in this group was with the Battelle Memorial Institute from 1968 to 1974, where he held the title Senior Research Leader.. At Battelle, and later at Virginia and George Mason universities, he developed the sociotechnology of Interpretive Structural Management and the rules of Interactive Management (the precursor of Structured dialogic design).
He has been elected President of the Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
, and of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
(formerly called the Society for General Systems Research). He served as Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics from 1968 to 1971, and as founding Editor-in-Chief of the Pergamon journal Systems Research, during the period 1981-1990. Warfield is a member of the Academic Committee of the International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics.
He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and holds that organization's Centennial Medal. He is a member of the Association for Integrative Studies.
In 2006 John N. Warfield was awarded the Joseph G. Wohl Award for Career Achievement at the 2006 annual meeting of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society. This is the highest award given by the society, and is not awarded every year. He was awarded for his contributions to systems engineering concepts, methodology, design, education and management. Warfield was also awarded the IEEE Third Millennium Medal.
Articles, papers and monographs, a selection:
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
.
Biography
Warfield was born in 1925 and grew up in MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and studied at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in Columbia. Originally he majored in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and minored in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, but his studies were interrupted by World War II
World War II
World 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...
. After basic training in the U. S. Army Infantry, the Army put him in a specialized training program 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...
, which he found very interesting, especially electronics and communications. After the war he completed his original undergraduate program and continued on to get advanced degrees in 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...
. He received the Bachelor of Arts in 1948, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1948, and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1949 from the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. He received the Doctor of Philosophy degree from Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, West Lafayette, Indiana
West Lafayette, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...
in 1952. His major was 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...
with a specialty in communications engineering.
He has about 10 years of industrial experience with these firms: Wilcox Electric Company, Battelle Memorial Institute, and Burroughs Corporation. His industrial experience included theoretical and experimental research, electronic development and reliability testing of navigational equipment for jet aircraft. His longest service in this group was with the Battelle Memorial Institute from 1968 to 1974, where he held the title Senior Research Leader.. At Battelle, and later at Virginia and George Mason universities, he developed the sociotechnology of Interpretive Structural Management and the rules of Interactive Management (the precursor of Structured dialogic design).
He has been elected President of the Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
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...
, and of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
International Society for the Systems Sciences
The International Society for the Systems Sciences is a world-wide organization for systems sciences.- Overview :The initial purpose of the society was "to encourage the development of theoretical systems which are applicable to more than one of the traditional departments of knowledge."The idea...
(formerly called the Society for General Systems Research). He served as Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics from 1968 to 1971, and as founding Editor-in-Chief of the Pergamon journal Systems Research, during the period 1981-1990. Warfield is a member of the Academic Committee of the International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics.
He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and holds that organization's Centennial Medal. He is a member of the Association for Integrative Studies.
In 2006 John N. Warfield was awarded the Joseph G. Wohl Award for Career Achievement at the 2006 annual meeting of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society. This is the highest award given by the society, and is not awarded every year. He was awarded for his contributions to systems engineering concepts, methodology, design, education and management. Warfield was also awarded the IEEE Third Millennium Medal.
Publications
Warfield is the author of eight books and about 100 papers. His books:- 1958. Synthesis of Linear Communications Networks. with G. E. Knausenberger, New York: McGraw-Hill.
- 1959. Introduction to Electronic Analog Computers. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
- 1963. Principles of Logic Design. Boston: Ginn and Company.
- 1976. Societal Systems: Planning, Policy, and Complexity. New York: Wiley Interscience.
- 1990. A Science of Generic Design: Managing Complexity through Systems Design. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press 1994.
- 1994. A Handbook of Interactive Management. With Roxana Cárdenas, Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press 1994.
- 2002. Understanding Complexity: Thought and Behavior. AJAR Publishing Company, Palm Harbor, FL.
- 2003. The Mathematics of Structure. AJAR Publishing Company, Palm Harbor, FL.
Articles, papers and monographs, a selection:
- 1956. Systems Engineering. United States Department of Commerce PB111801.
- 1957. "How to Improve Systems Engineering". Aeronautical Engineering Review, 16(7), July, 1957, 50-51.
- 1969. "What is System Planning?". With R.W. House, in: Automatica Vol. 5, 1969, pp. 151–157.
- 1972. A Unified Systems Engineering Concept. With J. D. Hill, et al., Columbus: Battelle Memorial Institute, Monograph No. 1, June, 1972.
- 1974. Structuring Complex Systems. Columbus: Battelle Memorial Institute Monograph No. 4, April, 1974
- 2003. "A Proposal for Systems Science". In: Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Vol. 20 (2003), pp. 507–520.
- 2003. "Autobiographical Retrospectives: Discovering Systems Science". In: International Journal of General Systems, December 2003 Vol 32 (6), pp. 525–563.
External links
- Warfields homepage at the George Mason School of Public Policy, 2007.
- J.N. Warfield short resume
- John N. Warfield background.
- International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics
- John N. Warfield Digital Archive
- Obituary from TimesDaily