Memorial Tributes Volume 13 (2010) / Chapter Skim
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PETER ELIAS
PETER ELIAS
Pages 56-61
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From page 56... ...
Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 56 3/23/10 3:42:09 PM
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From page 57... ...
Pete was distinguished not only for his research but also for his leadership of the Electrical Engineering Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1960 to 1966, a crucial transition period when the emphasis changed from engineering practice to engineering science and when computer science was initially recognized as a central part of electrical engineering.
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From page 58... ...
Information theory created a heady atmosphere of intellectual beauty and importance that attracted the very best graduate students at MIT, and the next seven years were extremely productive for Pete as well as for information theory and MIT The cornerstone of Shannon's theory is an existence proof that data can be encoded to assure essentially error-free transmission over arbitrary noisy channels at any rate less than their capacity. It would take another 40 years to learn how to reach capacity in practice, but Pete's 1954 paper, "Error-Free Coding"1 provided a major step in this evolution by developing 1 Elias, P., "Error free coding," Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE)
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From page 59... ...
The majority of current practical coding systems have evolved through the use of convolutional rather than block codes. Other early papers that became classics were "Channel Capacity without Coding" and "List Decoding for Noisy Channels." In the first, Pete provided a concrete example of how the use of feedback can be used to greatly simplify transmission at capacity.
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From page 60... ...
He was 37 at the time, a remarkably tender age to be appointed head of the largest department at MIT. He was chosen partly because of his widely recognized tact, good will, and integrity, and partly because he was central to the growth areas of the coming information age.
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From page 61... ...
His papers in this area lay part of the groundwork for the later development of universal data compression algorithms. Pete was also a senior statesman after 1966 and in considerable demand for government, MIT, and professional committees requiring people of wisdom and tact.
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