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{{short description|American computer scientist}}
{{Short description|American computer scientist (1929–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Russell A. Kirsch
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| 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
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|6|20}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|6|20}}
| birth_place = [[Manhattan]], New York, U.S.
| birth_place = [[Manhattan]], New York, U.S.
| monuments =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|8|11|1929|6|20}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|8|11|1929|6|20}}
| death_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], U.S.

| nationality =
| other_names =
| ethnicity = <!-- Ethnicity should be supported with a citation from a reliable source -->
| citizenship =
| 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/>
| alma_mater =
| occupation = [[Computer scientist]]
| occupation = [[Computer scientist]]
| years_active =
| employer =
| organization =
| agent =
| known_for = First digital image scanner
| known_for = First digital image scanner
| notable_works =
| style =
| influences =
| influenced =
| home_town =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| movement =
| opponents =
| boards =
| religion = <!-- Religion should be supported with a citation from a reliable source -->
| denomination = <!-- Denomination should be supported with a citation from a reliable source -->
| spouse = Joan (née Levin) Kirsch
| spouse = Joan (née Levin) Kirsch
| partner =
| children = Walden Kirsch ([[KGW]] reporter), 3 other children<ref name=Woodward2007/>
| children = Walden Kirsch ([[KGW]] reporter), 3 other children<ref name=Woodward2007/>
| parents =
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| awards =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
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| footnotes =
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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 inventor of the [[pixel]]. He also developed the first digital [[image scanner]].
'''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.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Computer Scientist, Pixel Inventor Russell Kirsch Dead at 91 |date=2020-08-13 |location=[[Portland, Oregon]] |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/computer-scientist-pixel-inventor-russell-kirsch-dead-at-91 |language=en-us |access-date=2022-09-10 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |website=[[PBS NewsHour]] |archive-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910025355/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/computer-scientist-pixel-inventor-russell-kirsch-dead-at-91 |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Background==
==Early life==
[[File:NBSFirstScanImage.jpg|thumb|Pioneering digitally [[Image scanner|scanned]] image of Russell Kirsch's son Walden, 1957]]
[[File:NBSFirstScanImage.jpg|thumb|Pioneering digitally [[Image scanner|scanned]] image of Russell Kirsch's son Walden, 1957]]
⚫
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/>


===Education===
==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" />
⚫
Kirsch was born in [[Manhattan]] on June 20, 1929.<ref name=Rogoway>{{cite news|title=Russell Kirsch, inventor of the pixel, dies in Oregon at age 91|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2020/08/russell-kirsch-inventor-of-the-pixel-dies-in-oregon-at-age-91.html|first=Mike|last=Rogoway|date=August 12, 2020|accessdate=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> 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/>


⚫
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/>
===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>{{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= 2010-06-28 | work =[[Wired News]]|accessdate=1 July 2010}}</ref>


⚫
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" />
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/>


==Career==
==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" />
⚫
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"/>


==Death==
⚫
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.<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">{{Citation | last = Newman | first = Michael E | url = https://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/image_052407.cfm | contribution = Fiftieth Anniversary of First Digital Image Marked | publisher = NIST | title = Tech Beat | date = 24 May 2007 | type = news release | accessdate = 31 March 2010}}.</ref> Kirsch also proposed the [[Kirsch operator]] for edge detection.<ref name=obit/>
Kirsch died on August 11, 2020, at his home in Portland at age 91. According to his son Walden, Kirsch's cause of death was [[frontotemporal dementia]], a form of [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref name="Langer" />

⚫
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 it's 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==
{{reflist|refs=
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=Bio>{{Citation |title= Russell A. Kirsch |url= http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/KIRSCH.HTM |publisher= [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |last= Kirsch |first= Russell A. |work= NISTS Museum; SEAC and the Start of Image Processing at the National Bureau of Standards |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120809014144/http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/KIRSCH.HTM |archivedate= 2012-08-09 }}</ref>
<ref name="Bio">{{Citation |last=Kirsch |first=Russell A. |title=Russell A. Kirsch |work=NISTS Museum; SEAC and the Start of Image Processing at the National Bureau of Standards |url=http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/KIRSCH.HTM |url-status=dead |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809014144/http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/KIRSCH.HTM |archive-date=August 9, 2012}}</ref>

⚫
<ref name="Earliest">{{Citation |last=Kirsch |first=Russell A. |title=Earliest Image Processing |work=NISTS Museum; SEAC and the Start of Image Processing at the National Bureau of Standards |url=http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/EARLIEST.HTM |url-status=dead |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719103629/http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/EARLIEST.HTM |archive-date=July 19, 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="Woodward2007">{{Citation |last=Woodward |first=Steve |title=Russell Kirsch: The Man Who Taught Computers to See |date=May 11, 2007 |work=[[The Oregonian]], [[OregonLive.com]] |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2007/05/russell_kirsch_the_man_who_tau.html |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-date=December 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215210847/http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2007/05/russell_kirsch_the_man_who_tau.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Image">{{Citation |last=Runyon |first=Joel |title=An Unexpected Ass Kicking |date=August 2, 2012 |work=ImpossibleHQ.com |url=http://impossiblehq.com/an-unexpected-ass-kicking |access-date=September 12, 2014 |archive-date=November 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107150511/https://impossiblehq.com/an-unexpected-ass-kicking/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="one">{{Cite journal |last=Kirsch |first=Russell A. |date=January 2001 |editor-last=Lide |editor-first=David R. |title=Computer Development at the National Bureau of Standards |url=https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/sp958-lide/086-089.pdf |journal=A Century of Excellence in Measurements, Standards, and Technology: A Chronicle of Selected NBS/NIST Publications, 1901-2000 |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |volume=Spec. Publ. 958 |pages=86–89 |access-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-date=July 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711012856/https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/sp958-lide/086-089.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Rogoway">{{Cite news |last=Rogoway |first=Mike |date=August 12, 2020 |title=Russell Kirsch, Inventor of the Pixel, Dies in Oregon at Age 91 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2020/08/russell-kirsch-inventor-of-the-pixel-dies-in-oregon-at-age-91.html |access-date=August 12, 2020 |work=[[The Oregonian]] |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214844/https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2020/08/russell-kirsch-inventor-of-the-pixel-dies-in-oregon-at-age-91.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


<ref name="obit">{{Cite news |date=August 11, 2020 |title=Russell A. Kirsch – Obituary |url=https://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?n=russell-a-kirsch&pid=196629194 |access-date=August 12, 2020 |work=[[The Oregonian]]}}</ref>
⚫
<ref name=Earliest>{{Citation |title= Earliest Image Processing |url= http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/EARLIEST.HTM |publisher= [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |last= Kirsch |first= Russell A. |work= NISTS Museum; SEAC and the Start of Image Processing at the National Bureau of Standards |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140719103629/http://museum.nist.gov/panels/seac/EARLIEST.HTM |archivedate= 2014-07-19 }}</ref>


<ref name="Square">{{Cite news |last=Ehrenberg |first=Rachel |date=June 28, 2010 |title=Square Pixel Inventor Tries to Smooth Things Out |url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/06/smoothing-square-pixels/ |access-date=July 1, 2010 |work=[[Wired News]] |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226095317/http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/06/smoothing-square-pixels |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name=Woodward2007>{{citation |url= http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2007/05/russell_kirsch_the_man_who_tau.html |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]], [[OregonLive.com]] |title= Russell Kirsch: The man who taught computers to see |date= May 11, 2007 |last= Woodward |first= Steve }}</ref>


<ref name="two">{{Citation |last=Newman |first=Michael E |title=Tech Beat |date=May 24, 2007 |type=news release |chapter-url=https://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/image_052407.cfm |chapter=Fiftieth Anniversary of First Digital Image Marked |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |access-date=March 31, 2010 |archive-date=August 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828110231/http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/image_052407.cfm |url-status=live }}.</ref>
<ref name=Image>{{citation |url= http://impossiblehq.com/an-unexpected-ass-kicking |work= [[ImpossibleHQ.com]] |title= An Unexpected Ass Kicking |date= Aug 2, 2012 |last= Runyon |first= Joel }}</ref>


<ref name="Langer">{{Cite news |last=Langer |first=Emily |date=August 13, 2020 |title=Russell Kirsch, Computer Scientist Who Scanned the First Digital Image, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/russell-kirsch-computer-scientist-who-scanned-first-digital-image-dies-at-91/2020/08/13/a234a22c-dccd-11ea-b205-ff838e15a9a6_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402233208/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/russell-kirsch-computer-scientist-who-scanned-first-digital-image-dies-at-91/2020/08/13/a234a22c-dccd-11ea-b205-ff838e15a9a6_story.html |archive-date=2022-04-02 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=2024-07-13}}</ref>
<ref name="one">Kirsch, Russell. [http://nistdigitalarchives.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15421coll5/id/1390/rec/20 “Computer Development at the National Bureau of Standards.”] National Bureau of Standards. 31 March 2010.</ref>
}}
}}


==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 |title=Computer Development (SEAC and DYSEAC) |date=January 25, 1955 |work=Circular |volume=551 |url=http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/circ/1955/circ551-scan1.pdf |place=[[Washington, D.C.]] |publisher=[[National Bureau of Standards]]}}.


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF0TA9O3Dc8&t=304s Kirsch talking about the SEAC computer]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF0TA9O3Dc8&t=304s Kirsch talking about the SEAC computer]


{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirsch, Russell}}
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[[Category:1929 births]]
[[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]]
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[[Category:Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni]]
[[Category:Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni]]
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[[Category:Jewish American scientists]]
[[Category:Jewish American scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]

Latest revision as of 14:00, 22 August 2024

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]

Early life

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

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]

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.[6]

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,[7] a picture of Kirsch's three-month-old son, was captured as just 30,976 pixels,[8] a 176 × 176 array, in an area 5 cm × 5 cm (2" x 2").[9] 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.[7] They used the computer to extract line drawings, count objects, recognize alphanumeric characters, and produce oscilloscope displays.[9] He also proposed the Kirsch operator for edge detection in images.[10]

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]

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][11]

Death

[edit]

Kirsch died on August 11, 2020, at his home in Portland at age 91. According to his son Walden, Kirsch's cause of death was frontotemporal dementia, a form of Alzheimer's disease.[12]

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"[9] 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.[9]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Runyon, Joel (August 2, 2012), "An Unexpected Ass Kicking", ImpossibleHQ.com, archived from the original on November 7, 2019, retrieved September 12, 2014
  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, archived from the original on December 15, 2017, retrieved August 12, 2012
  4. ^ "Computer Scientist, Pixel Inventor Russell Kirsch Dead at 91". PBS NewsHour (Press release). Portland, Oregon. Associated Press. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Rogoway, Mike (August 12, 2020). "Russell Kirsch, Inventor of the Pixel, Dies in Oregon at Age 91". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Kirsch, Russell A. (January 2001). Lide, David R. (ed.). "Computer Development at the National Bureau of Standards" (PDF). A Century of Excellence in Measurements, Standards, and Technology: A Chronicle of Selected NBS/NIST Publications, 1901-2000. Spec. Publ. 958. National Institute of Standards and Technology: 86–89. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b c d Newman, Michael E (May 24, 2007), "Fiftieth Anniversary of First Digital Image Marked", Tech Beat (news release), National Institute of Standards and Technology, archived from the original on August 28, 2016, retrieved March 31, 2010.
  10. ^ "Russell A. Kirsch – Obituary". The Oregonian. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Ehrenberg, Rachel (June 28, 2010). "Square Pixel Inventor Tries to Smooth Things Out". Wired News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  12. ^ Langer, Emily (August 13, 2020). "Russell Kirsch, Computer Scientist Who Scanned the First Digital Image, Dies at 91". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2024.

Further reading

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