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{{Short description|American computer scientist (1929–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
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{{short description|American computer scientist}}
{{Infobox person
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| image = Russell-Kirsch-and-Joel-Runyon.jpg
| image = Russell-Kirsch-and-Joel-Runyon.jpg
| image_size =
| alt = Photograph of Russell Kirsch
| alt = Photograph of Russell Kirsch
| caption = Russell Kirsch in Portland, Oregon with [[Joel Runyon]]<ref name=Image/>
| caption = Russell Kirsch (left) in Portland, Oregon with Joel Runyon<ref name=Image/> in 2012
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|6|20}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|6|20}}
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| nationality =
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| ethnicity = <!-- Ethnicity should be supported with a citation from a reliable source -->
| citizenship =
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| education = [[Bronx High School of Science]] (1946), [[Bachelor of Electrical Engineering|BEE]] [[New York University]] (1950), [[Master of Science|SM]] [[Harvard University]] (1952), [[American University]], [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]<ref name=Bio/>
| education = [[Bronx High School of Science]] (1946), [[Bachelor of Electrical Engineering|BEE]] [[New York University]] (1950), [[Master of Science|SM]] [[Harvard University]] (1952), [[American University]], [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]<ref name=Bio/>
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| known_for = First digital image scanner
| known_for = First digital image scanner
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| religion = <!-- Religion should be supported with a citation from a reliable source -->
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| spouse = Joan (née Levin) Kirsch
| spouse = Joan (née Levin) Kirsch
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'''Russell A. Kirsch''' (June 20, 1929{{spnd}}August 11, 2020) was an American engineer at the National Bureau of Standards (now known as the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]]). He was recognized as the developer of the first digital [[image scanner]].
'''Russell A. Kirsch''' (June 20, 1929{{spnd}}August 11, 2020) was an American engineer at the National Bureau of Standards (now known as the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]]). He was recognized as the developer of the first digital [[image scanner]], and subsequently scanned the world's first digital photograph – an image of his infant son.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-13 |title=Computer scientist, pixel inventor Russell Kirsch dead at 91 |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/computer-scientist-pixel-inventor-russell-kirsch-dead-at-91 |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref>


==Background==
==Background==
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===Education===
===Education===
Kirsch was born in [[Manhattan]] on June 20, 1929. He was of Jewish descent; his parents immigrated to the United States from [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russia]] and [[History of the Jews in Hungary|Hungary]].<ref name=Rogoway/> He attended the [[Bronx High School of Science]], graduating in 1946. He continued his education at [[New York University]] in 1950, [[Harvard University]] in 1952, and later the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref name=Bio/><ref name=Rogoway/>
Kirsch was born in [[Manhattan]] on June 20, 1929. His parents were Jewish emigrants from [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russia]] and [[History of the Jews in Hungary|Hungary]].<ref name=Rogoway/> He attended the [[Bronx High School of Science]], graduating in 1946. He continued his education at [[New York University]] in 1950, [[Harvard University]] in 1952, and later the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref name=Bio/><ref name=Rogoway/>


===Personal life===
===Personal life===
Kirsch was married to Joan (née Levin) Kirsch for 65 years until his death. Together, they had four children: Walden, Peter, Lindsey, and Kara.<ref name=Rogoway/> Kirsch spent most of his professional life in Washington, D.C., where he was affiliated with the [[National Bureau of Standards]] for nearly 50 years. He moved to [[Portland, Oregon]], in 2001<ref name=Rogoway/> after his retirement.<ref name=Woodward2007/><ref name="Square"/>
Kirsch was married to Joan (née Levin) Kirsch for 65 years until his death. Together, they had four children: Walden, Peter, Lindsey, and Kara.<ref name=Rogoway/> Kirsch spent most of his professional life in Washington, D.C., where he was affiliated with the [[National Bureau of Standards]] for nearly 50 years. He moved to [[Portland, Oregon]], in 2001<ref name=Rogoway/> after his retirement.<ref name=Woodward2007/><ref name="Square"/>


Kirsch died on August 11, 2020, at his home in Portland. He was 91 and had suffered from dementia in the time leading up to his death.<ref name=Rogoway/>
Kirsch died on August 11, 2020, at his home in Portland. He was 91 and had suffered from Alzheimer in the time leading up to his death.<ref name=Rogoway/>


==Career==
==Career==
In 1951 Kirsch joined the National Bureau of Standards as part of the team that ran [[SEAC (computer)|SEAC]] (Standards Eastern Automatic Computer).<ref name= "Bio"/> SEAC was the U.S.'s first [[stored-program computer]] to become operational, having entered service in 1950.<ref name="one"/>
In 1951 Kirsch joined the National Bureau of Standards as part of the team that ran [[SEAC (computer)|SEAC]] (Standards Eastern Automatic Computer).<ref name= "Bio"/> SEAC was the U.S.'s first [[stored-program computer]] to become operational, having entered service in 1950.<ref name="one"/>


In 1957, Kirsch's group developed a digital [[image scanner]], to "trace variations of intensity over the surfaces of photographs", and made the first digital scans. One of the first photographs scanned,<ref name="Earliest"/> a picture of Kirsch's three-month-old son, was captured as just 30,976 [[pixel]]s, a 176&nbsp;×&nbsp;176 array, in an area 5&nbsp;cm&nbsp;×&nbsp;5&nbsp;cm (2" x 2").<ref name = "two"/> The [[Color depth|bit depth]] was only one [[bit]] per pixel, stark black and white with no intermediate shades of gray, but, by combining several scans made using different scanning thresholds, [[grayscale]] information could also be acquired.<ref name="Earliest"/> They used the computer to extract [[line drawing algorithm|line drawings]], count objects, [[Optical character recognition|recognize alphanumeric characters]], and produce [[oscilloscope]] displays.<ref name="two" /> He also proposed the [[Kirsch operator]] for edge detection.<ref name=obit/>
In 1957, Kirsch's group developed a digital [[image scanner]], to "trace variations of intensity over the surfaces of photographs", and made the first digital scans. One of the first photographs scanned,<ref name="Earliest"/> a picture of Kirsch's three-month-old son, was captured as just 30,976 [[pixel]]s,<ref>Kirsch, R. A., et. al (December, 1957), [https://web.archive.org/web/20161221131913/http://www.mel.nist.gov/msidlibrary/doc/kirsch_experiments_pict.pdf "Experiments in Processing Pictorial Information with a Digital Computer"]'','' [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]], archived from [http://www.mel.nist.gov/msidlibrary/doc/kirsch_experiments_pict.pdf the original] on December 21, 2016</ref> a 176&nbsp;×&nbsp;176 array, in an area 5&nbsp;cm&nbsp;×&nbsp;5&nbsp;cm (2" x 2").<ref name = "two"/> The [[Color depth|bit depth]] was only one [[bit]] per pixel, stark black and white with no intermediate shades of gray, but, by combining several scans made using different scanning thresholds, [[grayscale]] information could also be acquired.<ref name="Earliest"/> They used the computer to extract [[line drawing algorithm|line drawings]], count objects, [[Optical character recognition|recognize alphanumeric characters]], and produce [[oscilloscope]] displays.<ref name="two" /> He also proposed the [[Kirsch operator]] for edge detection in images.<ref name=obit/>


Later in life, Kirsch became the director of research of the Sturvil Corporation and an advisory editor for the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (IEEE). He was the advisory editor of the journal ''Languages of Design''.<ref name="Bio"/>
Later in life, Kirsch became the director of research of the Sturvil Corporation and an advisory editor for the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (IEEE). He was the advisory editor of the journal ''Languages of Design''.<ref name="Bio"/>


==Accomplishments==
==Accomplishments==
In 2003 Kirsch's scanned picture of his son was named by [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]] one of the "100 Photographs That Changed the World" <ref name= "two"/> due to its importance in the development of [[digital photography]]. The original image is in the [[Portland Art Museum]].<ref name=Woodward2007/> Although Kirsch did not work for [[NASA]], his invention led to technology crucial to [[space exploration]], including the [[Apollo moon landing]].<!-- Commenting out the statement that "Without the ability to scan digital photographs from a camera, today’s images of planets, the Sun, Earth’s surface (among others) would not exist.", which is irrational -- "today's images" from space are not the result of "scan[ning] digital photographs from a camera", they are natively digital files of data output from solid-state image sensors, not scanners. --> Medical advancements such as Sir [[Godfrey Hounsfield]]’s CAT scan can also be attributed to Kirsch's research.<ref name="two"/>
In 2003 Kirsch's scanned picture of his son was named by [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]] one of the "100 Photographs That Changed the World"<ref name= "two"/> due to its importance in the development of [[digital photography]]. The original image is in the [[Portland Art Museum]].<ref name=Woodward2007/> Although Kirsch did not work for [[NASA]], his invention led to technology crucial to [[space exploration]], including the [[Apollo program|Apollo Moon landing]].<!-- Commenting out the statement that "Without the ability to scan digital photographs from a camera, today’s images of planets, the Sun, Earth’s surface (among others) would not exist.", which is irrational -- "today's images" from space are not the result of "scan[ning] digital photographs from a camera", they are natively digital files of data output from solid-state image sensors, not scanners. --> Medical advancements such as Sir [[Godfrey Hounsfield]]’s CAT scan can also be attributed to Kirsch's research.<ref name="two"/>

== See also ==

* [[Digitization]]


==References==
==References==
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<ref name=obit>{{cite news|title=Russell A. Kirsch – Obituary|url=https://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?n=russell-a-kirsch&pid=196629194|date=August 11, 2020|access-date=August 12, 2020|newspaper=The Oregonian}}</ref>
<ref name=obit>{{cite news|title=Russell A. Kirsch – Obituary|url=https://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?n=russell-a-kirsch&pid=196629194|date=August 11, 2020|access-date=August 12, 2020|newspaper=The Oregonian}}</ref>
<ref name="aap">{{cite web |title=Pixel inventor Russell Kirsch dead at 91 |agency=Australian Associated Press |url=https://www.aap.com.au/pixel-inventor-russell-kirsch-dead-at-91/ |date=August 15, 2020 |access-date=August 15, 2020}}</ref>


<ref name="Square">{{cite news| url = https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/06/smoothing-square-pixels/| title= Square Pixel Inventor Tries to Smooth Things Out|last= Ehrenberg|first= Rachel|date= June 28, 2010 | publisher=Wired News |accessdate=July 1, 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="Square">{{cite news| url = https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/06/smoothing-square-pixels/| title= Square Pixel Inventor Tries to Smooth Things Out|last= Ehrenberg|first= Rachel|date= June 28, 2010 | publisher=Wired News |accessdate=July 1, 2010}}</ref>
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* {{Citation | url = http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/circ/1955/circ551-scan1.pdf | title = Computer Development (SEAC and DYSEAC) | place = Washington, D.C. | publisher = National Bureau of Standards | journal = Circular | volume = 551 | date = January 25, 1955 | format = [[PDF]]}}.
* {{Citation | url = http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/circ/1955/circ551-scan1.pdf | title = Computer Development (SEAC and DYSEAC) | place = Washington, D.C. | publisher = National Bureau of Standards | journal = Circular | volume = 551 | date = January 25, 1955 }}.


==External links==
==External links==
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[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:American computer scientists]]
[[Category:American computer scientists]]
[[Category:Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni]]
[[Category:Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni]]
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[[Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Jewish American scientists]]
[[Category:Jewish American scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]

Latest revision as of 17:41, 10 June 2023

Russell Kirsch
Photograph of Russell Kirsch
Russell Kirsch (left) in Portland, Oregon with Joel Runyon[1] in 2012
Born(1929-06-20)June 20, 1929
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 11, 2020(2020-08-11) (aged 91)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
EducationBronx High School of Science (1946), BEE New York University (1950), SM Harvard University (1952), American University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology[2]
OccupationComputer scientist
Known forFirst digital image scanner
SpouseJoan (née Levin) Kirsch
ChildrenWalden Kirsch (KGW reporter), 3 other children[3]

Russell A. Kirsch (June 20, 1929 – August 11, 2020) was an American engineer at the National Bureau of Standards (now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology). He was recognized as the developer of the first digital image scanner, and subsequently scanned the world's first digital photograph – an image of his infant son.[4]

Background[edit]

Pioneering digitally scanned image of Russell Kirsch's son Walden, 1957

Education[edit]

Kirsch was born in Manhattan on June 20, 1929. His parents were Jewish emigrants from Russia and Hungary.[5] He attended the Bronx High School of Science, graduating in 1946. He continued his education at New York University in 1950, Harvard University in 1952, and later the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[2][5]

Personal life[edit]

Kirsch was married to Joan (née Levin) Kirsch for 65 years until his death. Together, they had four children: Walden, Peter, Lindsey, and Kara.[5] Kirsch spent most of his professional life in Washington, D.C., where he was affiliated with the National Bureau of Standards for nearly 50 years. He moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2001[5] after his retirement.[3][6]

Kirsch died on August 11, 2020, at his home in Portland. He was 91 and had suffered from Alzheimer in the time leading up to his death.[5]

Career[edit]

In 1951 Kirsch joined the National Bureau of Standards as part of the team that ran SEAC (Standards Eastern Automatic Computer).[2] SEAC was the U.S.'s first stored-program computer to become operational, having entered service in 1950.[7]

In 1957, Kirsch's group developed a digital image scanner, to "trace variations of intensity over the surfaces of photographs", and made the first digital scans. One of the first photographs scanned,[8] a picture of Kirsch's three-month-old son, was captured as just 30,976 pixels,[9] a 176 × 176 array, in an area 5 cm × 5 cm (2" x 2").[10] The bit depth was only one bit per pixel, stark black and white with no intermediate shades of gray, but, by combining several scans made using different scanning thresholds, grayscale information could also be acquired.[8] They used the computer to extract line drawings, count objects, recognize alphanumeric characters, and produce oscilloscope displays.[10] He also proposed the Kirsch operator for edge detection in images.[11]

Later in life, Kirsch became the director of research of the Sturvil Corporation and an advisory editor for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was the advisory editor of the journal Languages of Design.[2]

Accomplishments[edit]

In 2003 Kirsch's scanned picture of his son was named by Life magazine one of the "100 Photographs That Changed the World"[10] due to its importance in the development of digital photography. The original image is in the Portland Art Museum.[3] Although Kirsch did not work for NASA, his invention led to technology crucial to space exploration, including the Apollo Moon landing. Medical advancements such as Sir Godfrey Hounsfield’s CAT scan can also be attributed to Kirsch's research.[10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Runyon, Joel (August 2, 2012), "An Unexpected Ass Kicking", ImpossibleHQ.com
  2. ^ a b c d Kirsch, Russell A., "Russell A. Kirsch", NISTS Museum; SEAC and the Start of Image Processing at the National Bureau of Standards, National Institute of Standards and Technology, archived from the original on August 9, 2012
  3. ^ a b c Woodward, Steve (May 11, 2007), "Russell Kirsch: The man who taught computers to see", The Oregonian, OregonLive.com
  4. ^ "Computer scientist, pixel inventor Russell Kirsch dead at 91". PBS NewsHour. August 13, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e Rogoway, Mike (August 12, 2020). "Russell Kirsch, inventor of the pixel, dies in Oregon at age 91". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Ehrenberg, Rachel (June 28, 2010). "Square Pixel Inventor Tries to Smooth Things Out". Wired News. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  7. ^ Kirsch, Russell. (March 31, 2010). "Computer Development at the National Bureau of Standards". National Bureau of Standards.
  8. ^ a b Kirsch, Russell A., "Earliest Image Processing", NISTS Museum; SEAC and the Start of Image Processing at the National Bureau of Standards, National Institute of Standards and Technology, archived from the original on July 19, 2014
  9. ^ Kirsch, R. A., et. al (December, 1957), "Experiments in Processing Pictorial Information with a Digital Computer", National Institute of Standards and Technology, archived from the original on December 21, 2016
  10. ^ a b c d Newman, Michael E (May 24, 2007), "Fiftieth Anniversary of First Digital Image Marked", Tech Beat (news release), NIST, retrieved March 31, 2010.
  11. ^ "Russell A. Kirsch – Obituary". The Oregonian. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Russell_Kirsch&oldid=1159493669"