Gerald Estrin | |
|---|---|
 Gerald Estrin with his wifeThelma.Santa Monica, California. Sept. 2007 | |
| Born | September 9, 1921 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 29, 2012(2012-03-29) (aged 90) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Madison (BS,MS,PhD) |
| Spouse | Thelma Estrin |
| Children | Margo Estrin Judy Estrin Deborah Estrin |
| Awards | IEEE Life Fellow Guggenheim Fellowship |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions | Institute for Advanced Study (1950–1956) Weizmann Institute of Science (1954–1955) University of California, Los Angeles (1956–1991) |
| Thesis | A Study of Artificial Dielectric Media (Vincent C. Rideout) |
| Doctoral students | David Patterson Jean-Loup Baer Vint Cerf Mary K. Vernon Johanna Moore |
Gerald Estrin (September 9, 1921 – March 29, 2012)[1] was an American computer scientist, and professor at the UCLA Computer Science Department. He is known for his work on the organization of computer systems, onparallel processing[2] and SARA (system architects apprentice).[3]
Estrin was born inNew York City in 1921. He met his future wifeThelma Austern in 1941 atCity College, New York and they were married when he was 20 and she was 17. Estrin entered the Army duringWorld War II, after which he and Thelma Estrin entered theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, where they both earned degrees inElectrical Engineering. Estrin received hisB.S.,M.S., andPh.D. degrees from theUniversity of Wisconsin in 1948, 1949, and 1951, respectively.
Estrin served as research engineer in thevon Neumann group atIAS from 1950 to 1956. This led to an invitation from theWeizmann Institute of Science in Israel to direct theWEIZAC Project. Estrin and his wife went toIsrael for theWEIZAC Project in 1954, after which Estrin returned to a teaching position atUCLA in 1955.
In the late 1950s Estrin came up with the concept ofreconfigurable computing, which allows the acceleration of computational processes by using variable configurations of specialised hardware modules in addition to a sequential processing unit. The idea was practically realised as "The Fixed Plus Variable Structure Computer".[4]
Estrin obtained a teaching position atUCLA in 1953 and they moved toLos Angeles. During this time Thelma taught atLos Angeles Valley College, a junior college in Los Angeles. After their return from theWEIZAC project, Thelma also began working at UCLA in 1960 and she became a professor in the Computer Science Department in 1980. Gerald Estrin served as Chairperson of the UCLA Computer Science Department from 1979 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1988. He retired in 1991, and was recalled asprofessor emeritus.[5]
Estrin was anIEEE Fellow, aGuggenheim Fellow, and a member of the Board of Governors of theWeizmann Institute of Science,Israel.
Gerald Estrin had three daughters. Margo Estrin is a medical doctor,Deborah Estrin is a computer scientist and academic professor, andJudith Estrin is a corporate executive.[6]
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