Robert Fano

Robert Mario Fano (born 1917[1] in Turin, Italy, as Roberto Mario Fano) is an Italian-American computer scientist, currently professor emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[2] Fano is known principally for his work on information theory, inventing (with Claude Shannon) Shannon-Fano coding.[3] In the early 1960s, he was involved in the development of time-sharing computers, and served as director of MIT's Project MAC from its founding in 1963 until 1968.[4][5]

Fano's father was the mathematician Gino Fano; his older brother was physicist Ugo Fano.[6] He grew up in Turin and studied engineering as an undergraduate at the School of Engineering of Torino until 1939, when he emigrated to the United States. He received his S.B. in electrical engineering from MIT in 1941, before joining the staff of the MIT Radiation Laboratory. After the war, he received an Sc.D., also from MIT, in 1947; his thesis, entitled "Theoretical Limitations on the Broadband Matching of Arbitrary Impedances", was supervised by Ernst Guillemin. He joined the MIT faculty in 1947. Between 1950 and 1953, he led the Radar Techniques Group at Lincoln Laboratory.[7]

Fano is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. [7]

Fano received the Claude E. Shannon Award in 1976 for his work in information theory.[7]

Bibliography

In addition to his work in information theory, Fano also published articles and books about microwave systems,[8] electromagnetism, network theory, and engineering education. His book-length publications include:

References

  1. ^ Seising, Rudolf (2007-08-08). Fuzzification of systems: the genesis of fuzzy set theory and its initial applications - developments up to the 1970s. Springer. pp. 33–. ISBN 9783540717942. http://books.google.com/books?id=rdYRdlM2dAQC&pg=PA33. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  2. ^ Markoff, John (13 March 2008). "Joseph Weizenbaum Dies; Computer Pioneer Was 85". The New York Times: p. 22. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/world/europe/13weizenbaum.html. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  3. ^ Salomon, David (2007). Data compression: the complete reference. Springer. pp. 72–. ISBN 9781846286025. http://books.google.com/books?id=ujnQogzx_2EC&pg=PA72. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  4. ^ Wildes, Karl L.; Lindgren, Nilo A. (1985). A century of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, 1882-1982. MIT Press. pp. 348–. ISBN 9780262231190. http://books.google.com/books?id=6ZX-GwvhcnkC&pg=PA348. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  5. ^ Belzer, Jack; Holzman, Albert G.; Kent, Allen (1979-05-01). Encyclopedia of computer science and technology: Pattern recognition to reliability of computer systems. CRC Press. pp. 339–. ISBN 9780824722623. http://books.google.com/books?id=IFmaqTI9-KsC&pg=PA339. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  6. ^ The New York Times biographical service. New York Times & Arno Press. 2001. pp. 297–. http://books.google.com/books?id=_HkoAQAAIAAJ. 
  7. ^ a b c Lee, John A. N. (1995). International biographical dictionary of computer pioneers. Taylor & Francis US. pp. 296–. ISBN 9781884964473. http://books.google.com/books?id=ocx4Jc12mkgC&pg=PA296. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 
  8. ^ Lee, Thomas H. (2004). Planar microwave engineering: a practical guide to theory, measurement, and circuits. Cambridge University Press. pp. 93–. ISBN 9780521835268. http://books.google.com/books?id=uoj3IWFxbVYC&pg=PA93. Retrieved 15 August 2011. 

External links