Norman Abramson

This article is about the computer scientist and electrical engineer. For the aerospace engineer and scientist, see H. Norman Abramson

Norman Abramson
Residence	United States
Fields	Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
Institutions	University of Hawaii
Alma mater	Stanford University
Notable awards	IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal

Norman Abramson (April 1, 1932)^[1] is an American engineer and computer scientist, most known for developing the ALOHAnet system for wireless computer communication.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he received an A.B. in physics from Harvard University (1953), an M.A. in Physics from UCLA (1955), and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University (1958).

He worked as a research engineer in the Hughes Aircraft Company until 1955, when he joined the faculty at Stanford University (1955–65), was visiting professor at University of California at Berkeley (1966), before moving to University of Hawaii (1968–94), serving as professor of both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Director of Aloha Systems. He is currently the Vice President of Aloha Networks, established in San Francisco (1994).

His early research concerned radar signal characteristics and sampling theory, as well as frequency modulation and digital communication channels, error correcting codes,^[2] pattern recognition and machine learning and computing for seismic analysis. In the late 1960s he worked on the ALOHAnet and continued to develop spread spectrum techniques in the 1980s.

Awards

• 1972: IEEE Sixth Region Achievement Award for contributions to Information Theory and Coding.
• 1980: IEEE Fellow Award for development of the ALOHA-System..
• 1992: Pacific Telecommunications Council 20th Anniversary Award for leadership in the PTC.
• 1995: IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award for development of the ALOHA System.
• 1998: Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation from the IEEE Information Theory Society, for "the invention of the first random-access communication protocol".^[3]
• 2000: Technology Award from the German Eduard Rhein Foundation.^[4][5]
• 2007: IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal.
• 2011: C&C Prize.

Publications

• Information theory and coding (McGraw-Hill, 1963)
• Computer communication networks (Prentice-Hall, 1973). Editor with Franklin F. Kuo

References

1. ^ biography from IEEE (1964)
2. ^ U.S. Patent 3,114,130 and U.S. Patent 3,163,848.
3. ^ "Golden Jubilee Awards for Technological Innovation". IEEE Information Theory Society. http://www.itsoc.org/honors/golden-jubilee-awards-for-technological-innovation. Retrieved July 14, 2011 (2011-07-14). 
4. ^ "Award Winners (chronological)". Eduard Rhein Foundation. http://www.eduard-rhein-stiftung.de/html/Preistraeger_e.html. Retrieved July 14, 2011 (2011-07-14). 
5. ^ "Technology Award 2000 - Prof. Dr. Norman Abramson". Eduard Rhein Foundation. http://www.eduard-rhein-stiftung.de/html/2000/T00_e.html. Retrieved July 14, 2011 (2011-07-14). 

External links

• Biography from IEEE
• Oral history interview with Severo Ornstein, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Ornstein discusses the computing contributions of Wesley Clark and Norman Abramson.

Awards
Preceded by John Wozencraft	IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal 2007	Succeeded by Gerard J. Foschini

Persondata
Name	Abramson, Norman
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 1, 1932
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death