John Pasta

Infobox_Scientist
name = John Pasta
birth_date = 1918
birth_place = New York City, U.S.
death_date = 1984
death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
residence = U.S. (1918-84)
nationality = USA
field = Physicist
work_institution = Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
alma_mater = New York University
known_for = Co-originating the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam experiment at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

John R. Pasta (1918–1984) was a computer scientist who is remembered today for the Fermi–Pasta–Ulam experiment, a result much discussed among physicists and researchers in dynamical systems and chaos theory, and as the head of the department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1964 to 1970.

Early life

Pasta was raised in New York City and did work as a real estate title examiner before becoming a New York City police officer from 1941 to 1942. Pasta followed his interest in physics and attended the City College of New York. During the depression Pasta was forced to drop out of the City College and find work, eventually being drafted into the Army during World War II, receiving the Bronze Star

Following the war, Pasta was able to return to school at the City College through the GI Bill. Eventually receiving his PhD in theoretical physics from New York University in 1951. That same year he worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

1951-1963

At Los Alamos National Laboratory Pasta would begin his work on his most famous projects.

In 1952, working under Nicholas Metropolis on the MANIAC I, John Pasta aided in the construction of an early computer that specialized in calculations around weapons design.

After working on the MANIAC I, Pasta continued on to work in the project he is most known for, the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam experiment.

After working alongside Enrico Fermi and Stanislaw Marcin Ulam Pasta went on to work for the Atomic Energy Commission as the only computer expert, eventually developing the branch of mathematics and computers to an entire division.

1964-1984

In 1964, Pasta became a research professor of physics at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois, and later became the head of the department. He died in 1984.

References

* K.K. Curtis "et al.", "John R. Pasta, 1918-1984," "Annals of the History of Computing", Vol. 5, July 1983, pp. 224-238.
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4989933629762859961 Computer Networks: The Heralds of Resource Sharing] , documentray ca. 1972 about the ARPANET. Includes footage of John Pasta.

Persondata
NAME= Pasta, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Physicist
DATE OF BIRTH= 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH= New York City, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH= 1984
PLACE OF DEATH= Chicago, Illinois, U.S.