David A. Huffman Explained

David A. Huffman
Birth Date:9 August 1925
Birth Place:Ohio
Death Place:Santa Cruz, California
Alma Mater:Ohio State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thesis Title:The Synthesis of Sequential Switching Circuits
Thesis Year:1953
Thesis Url:http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/4804
Doctoral Advisor:Samuel H. Caldwell
Field:Information theory, Coding theory
Known For:Huffman coding
Awards:IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal (1999)

David Albert Huffman (August 9, 1925 – October 7, 1999) was an American pioneer in computer science, known for his Huffman coding.[1] [2] He was also one of the pioneers in the field of mathematical origami.[3]

Education

Huffman earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Ohio State University in 1944. Then, he served two years as an officer in the United States Navy. He returned to Ohio State to earn his master's degree in electrical engineering in 1949. In 1953, he earned his Doctor of Science in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with the thesis The Synthesis of Sequential Switching Circuits, advised by Samuel H. Caldwell.[1] [2]

Career

Huffman joined the faculty at MIT in 1953. In 1967, he joined the faculty of University of California, Santa Cruz and helped found its Computer Science Department, where he served as chair from 1970 to 1973. He retired in 1994.[2]

Huffman is best known for Huffman coding, which he published while a ScD student at MIT in 1952. Huffman came up with the algorithm when a professor offered students to either take the traditional final exam, or improve a leading algorithm for data compression.[4] Huffman reportedly was more proud of his work "The Synthesis of Sequential Switching Circuits,"[1] which was the topic of his 1953 MIT thesis (an abridged version of which was published in the Journal of the Franklin Institute in 1954.[5])

Awards and honors

External links

Notes and References

  1. Profile: Information Theorist David A. Huffman . Gary Stix . Gary Stix . 265 . 3 . September 1991 . 54–58 . . . July 13, 2011.
  2. Web site: Eminent UCSC computer scientist David Huffman dies at age 74 . Stephens . Tim . Burns . Jim . Currents Online . . October 11, 1999 . July 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716161810/http://www1.ucsc.edu/currents/99-00/10-11/huffman.html . July 16, 2011 . dead .
  3. Web site: Origami Science Links. Lang. Robert.
  4. Web site: Data Compression Drives the Internet. Here's How It Works. .
  5. The Synthesis of Sequential Switching Circuits . Journal of the Franklin Institute . 257 . 3 . 160–191, 275–303 . Mar–Apr 1954.
  6. Web site: Franklin Laureate Database – Louis E. Levy Medal Laureates . . July 12, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629195033/http://www.fi.edu/winners/show_results.faw?gs=&ln=&fn=&keyword=&subject=&award=LEVY+&sy=1923&ey=1999&name=Submit . June 29, 2011 .
  7. Web site: Past recipients for W. Wallace McDowell Award . IEEE Computer Society . July 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120217043209/http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/wallace#_118_tabs_WAR_pluginsui_INSTANCE_RAqi_tab1 . February 17, 2012 . dead .
  8. Web site: Computer Pioneer Charter Recipients . . July 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130906063313/http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/pioneer#_118_tabs_WAR_pluginsui_INSTANCE_d0QT_tab2 . September 6, 2013 . dead .
  9. Web site: Golden Jubilee Awards for Technological Innovation . . July 14, 2011.
  10. Web site: IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal Recipients . https://web.archive.org/web/20100620000223/http://ieee.org/documents/hamming_rl.pdf . dead . June 20, 2010 . . July 12, 2011.