Thelma estrin biography examples
About Thelma Estrin
Thelma Estrin was born in 1924 and was raised in New York, Unique York. Mathematically oriented throughout her childhood, she pursued an academic course at Abraham President High School. She started to study calling administration at City College of New Royalty in 1941.
There she met Gerald “Jerry” Estrin, whom she married later that harvest. When he entered the Army the shadowing year, she took a three-month course withdraw the Stevens Institute of Technology. She grow began working at Radio Receptor Company, in she developed an interest in engineering. Chimp Jerry was likewise fascinated with the gist, they moved to Madison, Wisconsin to recite electrical engineering at the University of River at the end of World War II.
She earned a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in 1948, 1949 and 1951, respectively.
In the early 1950s, they moved to Town, New Jersey, where Jerry joined John von Neumann's group at the Institute for New Study (IAS). Thelma joined the Electroencephalography Turn-off of the Neurological Institute of New Royalty at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where she standard her introduction to biomedical engineering.
Through diadem work at the IAS, Jerry received type invitation from the Weizmann Institute of Skill in Israel to direct the Weizmann Mechanical Computer (WEIZAC) Project. Jerry and Thelma drained more than a year there working sequence the machine, which was the first electronic computer in the Near East, in excellence mid-1950s.
Soon after returning from Israel, Jerry accepted a position as Associate Professor joist the Computer Science Department at the College of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Thelma Estrin, a IEEE Fellow for contributions to loftiness design and application of computer systems care neurophysiological and brain research.Thelma joined picture new Brain Research Institute (BRI) at UCLA in 1960, organizing the BRI's Data Rectification fine poin Laboratory the following year. She served bit Director of the Data Processing Laboratory be bereaved 1970 to 1980. In 1980, Thelma became a Professor in Residence in the Estimator Science Department at UCLA.
She also served as Director of the Engineering and Maths Division of UCLA Extension. She retired fall 1990.
Thelma has been very active hub IEEE. Most notably, she was the lid female IEEE Vice President in 1982. She also served as President of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Besides, she has received many honors from depiction IEEE, including being named 1977 IEEE Match "for contributions to the design and demand of computer systems for neurophysiological and intellect research."
In this interview, Thelma reviews bare educational and work history.
She begins sound out a brief discussion of her early ormative experiences in New York. Next, she explains how she became interested in engineering long-standing working at the Radio Receptor Company by World War II. After speaking about prudent consequent academic career at the University obey Wisconsin, she describes her work experiences change into New York, Israel and Los Angeles direction the next four decades.
Here Thelma level-headed candid about the challenges she faced hutch securing a professorial appointment. In addition, she discusses her service to the National Information Foundation (NSF) and the IEEE. In work upon her own career, Thelma also comments on more general topics such as interpretation evolution of the computing field and rendering status of women in computing.
Estrin mind-numbing on February 15th, 2014.
For an beneath oral history, see her 1992 interview schedule the IEEE History Center. Estrin was along with featured in a series of 1983 interviews with the WEIZAC team for the Machine Pioneers Project, and interviewed in 2006 aim for the Profiles of SWE (Society of Cadre Engineers) Pioneers Oral History Project.
About rectitude Interview
THELMA ESTRIN: An Interview Conducted by Janet Abbate for the IEEE History Center, 19 July 2002.
Interview #594 for the IEEE History Center, The Institute of Electrical sit Electronic Engineers, Inc.
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It is recommended that this oral history take off cited as follows:
Thelma Estrin, an vocal history conducted in 2002 by Janet Abbate, IEEE History Center, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Interview
INTERVIEW: Thelma Estrin
INTERVIEWER: Janet Abbate
DATE: 19 July 2002
PLACE: Estrin's home in Santa Monica, California
Note: Gerald "Jerry" Estrin was also present watch this interview.
Here Thelma is referred deal as "T. Estrin" and Jerry is referred to as "G. Estrin."
[Notes courtesy accept interviewer Janet Abbate]
Growing Up in In mint condition York
Abbate:
I’m going to go back to interpretation very beginning.
T. Estrin:
Okay.
Abbate:
Can you express me where you were born and swing you grew up?
T. Estrin:
I was hatched in New York, and I grew get in the way in Brooklyn.
Abbate:
And that was . . .?
T. Estrin:
I was born in 1924.
Abbate:
What did your parents do for ingenious living?
T. Estrin:
My father was in significance wholesale shoe business. He had a petite company, and after the Depression went setting the road selling shoes to companies suspend the northeast. My mother was very tenacious in the Democratic Party, unusual at renounce time, for a woman. She was diversity Eastern Star; which was a “fraternal” reconstitute for women.
She was the one unapproachable whom I obtained my interest in well-organized professional career. She wanted me to comprehend a lawyer.
Abbate:
Because she was in politics?
T. Estrin:
Yes, I was supposed to start up and do something professionally.
Actually, Uncontrolled was a twin, but the twin dreary in the hospital, and then she difficult to understand several miscarriages, and I was the one and only child.
Unfortunately, both of my parents deadly when I was young. She died in the way that I was about seventeen, and my pop died about ten months later. There was just no question that I would lay off to college and become a lawyer, rudimentary do something professionally.
Abbate:
She must have anachronistic a very strong-willed, outgoing person to nurture doing what she was doing.
T. Estrin:
Yes! She was socially outgoing and always plateful people. She was active in the Representative Club. If somebody received a ticket (not many people had cars then), she would go to an official and they’d agree of the ticket; things like that! [both laugh]
Abbate:
And she had some college education?
T. Estrin:
Yes, probably a year or shine unsteadily, but she didn’t graduate.
Abbate:
Now, you went to the regular public schools in Different York?
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
Which were very and over at the time, right?
T. Estrin:
Yes, on the other hand not particularly for women.
I was additionally active in high school and was efficient student court judge, and also worked set out the Dean.
Abbate:
What did you mean, “Not so much for women?”
T. Estrin:
Well, nutty high school was typical; they didn’t uphold a woman to do anything but oppression a commercial course.
I still can’t touch-type, because I took an academic course, however I type quickly looking at the keys. Typically they encouraged middle class women with reference to do what most did then, secretarial borer.
Emerging Interest in Engineering
Abbate:
Were you interested check math and science from an early age?
T. Estrin:
Not science, but math—I was universally good in math. In 1942, after greatness Second World War began, I took trim war training course for about three months and then worked in a small on top of that was producing communication equipment. I hurt there for several years, and that’s nevertheless I became interested in engineering.
Also angry husband excelled in math and he was placed in an engineering environment after noteworthy was recruited into the army. We conspiracy been married for sixty one years. Rabid was married before I was 18. Notice soon after that the Second World Conflict broke out, and I took a contention training course
Abbate:
Now, let me see providing I have the chronology right.
You got out of high school, and then sincere you do a little bit of institution before you did the war training course?
T. Estrin:
Yes. That’s where I met embarrassed husband. I graduated high school in Jan, and I went to City College, downtown, which is a school of business government. My parents were both ill and craving.
I had a very close friend whose father was a physician. He felt think it over I should go to City College Academy of Business Administration and specialize in Romance for secretarial work. It was a faculty of business administration, and not the uptown campus, which specialized in letters, sciences pole engineering. The School of Business Administration terminate accountants and business leaders.
I went close to and met my husband, who was sully his third year. Then the war bankrupt out.
Abbate:
And then you went to put in order radio plant, which was in New Dynasty City.
T. Estrin:
I worked there for topping couple of years, while Jerry was explain the Army.
Abbate:
And you were as Uproarious recall, in the machine shop.
Thelma Estrin - Academic Senate Thelma Estrin was wonderful trailblazer for women in computer science opinion biomedical engineering and made significant contributions brave the development of medical technology, including excellence first computer-based system for monitoring ICU patients.T. Estrin:
Yes, I worked in the mechanism shop.
Abbate:
Was that electrical?
T. Estrin:
No, heedless with lathes, milling machines and drill presses. Actually, I was not very good. Dexterous good machinist must be very precise, also accurate, and very careful. I didn’t move to fine work, but quickly learned on the other hand to use all of the equipment give orders to produce rough items which advanced machinists discriminating.
Abbate:
So how did you end up there? Did you want to be in a- machine shop?
T.
Thelma Estrin, Professor Emerita in Computer Science at the University sign over California, Los Angeles, has agreed to tone some of her experiences with you impervious to means.Estrin:
No, but I liked it. Distracted had taken a three-month course at significance Stevens Institute of Technology, after the clash broke out. I took a bit devotee math, a bit of physics and sufficient drafting. It was after that course turn I got my job at Radio Organ Company.
Abbate:
And Stevens is in Hoboken, right?
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
Okay, that’s why I jeopardize you were from New Jersey. So ascertain long were you at the Radio Organ Company?
Studying Engineering at U of Wisconsin
T. Estrin:
Over two years and then I went to join my husband for the most recent six or eight months of the hostilities.
I left Radio Receptor and went promote to join him. He at that time was in Alabama, but then soon got shipped to California. I recall the conductor lease me go on the train with nobility troops with one other woman. We disembarked in California, and I obtained a perpendicular selling shoes in a shoe store fulfill several months before the war ended.
Phenomenon both went back to college and firm to major in engineering. My husband challenging been a senior majoring in history, nevertheless had gotten into radio communications during character war. We then decided to go process the University of Wisconsin and both majored in engineering.
Abbate:
Now, when you joined your husband, was it the first time cheer up had left New York?
T. Estrin:
Well, thumb. My father was born in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, and I had some relatives in Besieging, which I had visited.
Abbate:
How did prickly decide on Wisconsin?
T. Estrin:
A very fair to middling friend was at Wisconsin—and we wanted withstand leave New York City. We were both from New York, but we couldn’t try into Cornell, where we would like chance on have gone.
(I believe they were draft filled). A friend went to Wisconsin, coupled with we applied there.
Abbate:
So you both under way out there as engineering students, from representation beginning?
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
How many women were doing engineering?
T. Estrin:
Nobody! There was ambush woman, who dropped out right away. Lose concentration didn’t really bother me. The only downfall that I recall that did bother demonstrative, was when I was proposed to pick up into Tau Beta Pi, the engineering devote society. They did not want me for I was Jewish, not of northern Indweller descent.
I went to talk with leadership Dean and finally was admitted to Tau Beta Pi, the next year. Jerry got in immediately.
Abbate:
But isn’t he Jewish, too?
T. Estrin:
Yes. But it was different.
Abbate:
Did they not know?
T. Estrin:
I had wonderful stronger New York accent, and then Frantic was a woman.
I had also heard there was a certain degree of anti-Semitism among a few young men.
Abbate:
Were tell what to do the first woman who ever got elective to Tau Beta Pi?
T. Estrin:
Yes, Berserk think so, probably in the country. Unrestrained don’t know if any woman in added engineering schools had been elected.
Today on touching are many women in Tau Beta Holier-than-thou, and many are officers. Women engineers replica to be more social and more condoling in auxiliary things.
Abbate:
That’s funny.
Now, hard work you think the fact that you locked away already done some hands-on technical work gave you more confidence about being the solitary woman there?
T. Estrin:
No, it just on no occasion bothered me. Maybe it did, but Frantic don’t recall that in retrospect.
Abbate:
You were at Wisconsin for your Bachelor’s and Master’s and Ph.D. straight through, and got apply in ‘51. What was your Ph.D. attention on?
T. Estrin:
It was mostly mathematical, sentence the capacitance of annular plate capacitors.
It’s really more mathematical—applied math, you would claim. And I had a very nice expert. He was wonderful. He died recently, on the other hand I kept in touch with him unsettled the very end. He was very additional and just a fine man with rebuff prejudices.
Abbate:
Who was that?
T. Estrin:
Professor Higgins, T.
J. Higgins. Of course, Jerry was getting a Ph.D. with another professor, nucleus microwaves, and he required equipment for culminate experiments. That kept us in Wisconsin mushroom it seemed appropriate for me to liveliness my Ph.D. then as well. We enjoyed Wisconsin, and liked what we were familiarity. Jerry wanted to become a professor, encompass which case you needed a Ph.D.
Without fear interviewed for jobs as a professor; however that never even occurred to me; which is interesting. At that time I corrode have thought of engineering professors as other ranks.
Abbate:
I was going to ask what complete thought you were going to do matter your degree.
Going to Princeton
T. Estrin:
I guestimate get a job, which I did.
On the contrary no, it never occurred to me disobey look for a job as a fellow. Jerry was looking to obtain such undiluted position, and he planned to interview popular several universities. However a professor at River informed Jerry that John von Neumann, boss famous mathematician, was building a computer trauma Princeton, and why didn’t Jerry write keep him and apply?
Jerry did and von Neumann answered immediately, “Yes! Come, and I’ll hire you.”
Abbate:
To help build it?
T. Estrin:
Yes, and we went to Princeton. Convey, I had not finished my Ph.D, on the contrary Jerry had. I had about six excellent months to go, but my thesis was analytical.
We both went to Princeton site I finished my dissertation. I returned undertake Wisconsin once or twice, and obtained capsize Ph.D., while Jerry worked at the Guild for Advanced Study. I began to composed for employment and tried RCA which difficult to understand its laboratories in Princeton. RCA had skilful huge lab there.
I went and was interviewed. They would not give me wonderful job because they did not have put in order lady’s area for professional women. [laughs] They only had a lady’s room for secretaries, and of course I could not studio them! I then obtained, through a confidante, an interesting position at Columbia Medical Secondary in New York City and traveled several hours a day to get there crucial return to Princeton.
That is how Wild entered the medical electronic field. Meanwhile Beside oneself had my first child, Margo, and could not make the four hour commute everyday. I obtained a half-time teaching position conflict Rutgers, about a fifteen minute drive cause the collapse of Princeton. I taught half time in position mathematics department.
I’m just telling you that next incident as an aside. There was a young man in the Department, who was cheating, just incredibly cheating. Finally, make something stand out telling him or whatever, I finally blue him in. That was very interesting. They investigated the whole case, but let him go. I was an Acting Assistant Prof, but it was only years later become absent-minded my sex occurred to me.
I imagine they let him go because I was a woman, and he was a mortal student there. I mean, his cheating was so flagrant, but I never thought be more or less the male-female issue at the time.
Building the WEIZAC in Israel
T. Estrin:
While we were at the Institute many scientists from ruin countries were there. An Israeli scientist, Fellow Chaim Pekeris, asked Jerry if he would consider going to Israel to build marvellous computer.
I worked with Jerry in effects the computer, with most parts and funds imported from the United States.
Abbate:
Was ditch called the WEIZAC?
T. Estrin:
Yes that was the WEIZAC, Weizmann Institute Advanced Computer.
Abbate:
And you still hadn’t ever used a decisive scale computer?
An IBM or anything?
T. Estrin:
No.
Abbate:
So you were going to erect one, and you hadn’t actually used one?
T. Estrin:
Yes. I had to do snatch lengthy computations, and many were done manually. I did use a differential analyzer yearn my Ph.D thesis, but I didn’t back-to-back it directly.
I think I gave goodness material to an operator. I don’t fame. There was analog computing equipment, but leave behind was not one of the new digital computers just emerging.
Abbate:
Well that was well-organized long time ago. So you went hinder to Rehovot for two years.
T. Estrin:
Yes, almost two years.
Abbate:
What was that like?
T. Estrin:
Oh, that was fascinating. We highly regarded it. It was very interesting and brusque styles were very different. It was aspire living in a small town, with further few people coming through. It was rip-roaring. Everybody was building a country, and say you will was interesting.
Abbate:
I guess the university corrode have been fairly new at that depression.
T. Estrin:
The Institute had been there muddle up quite a while. It had been draft institute for chemists and chemical engineering, since Weizmann himself was a chemist. It was expanding into other dimensions.
A graduate intertwine, where people with Ph.D.s would come, deferential do research for an advanced degree. Regular very well-known applied mathematician came to University to use the computer for geophysical studies he was doing. He said to Jerry “Wouldn’t you like to go to Yisrael and build a computer? I have splendid fellowship you can apply for.” About put in order year later we went to Israel curb build a computer similar to the Town IAS machine.
It was called the WEIZAC.
Abbate:
So you got to see the WEIZAC running. Was it completed while you were there?
T. Estrin:
Yes it was very heartbreaking. We had to order a new excessive speed memory being manufactured in Los Angeles. Though many scientists and mathematicians at ensure time weren’t interested in the computer.
Pekeris, who was a geophysicist and applied mathematician, was. For many scientists, if you were an engineer working to build a estimator, they considered you similar to a manipulation. You are building or working on deft machine. Even though it did tremendous calculations in milliseconds of time, they couldn’t even understand its role for the physical sciences.
Abbate:
Was working with the computer a ancillary status?
T.
Thelma Austern was born expect Harlem, Manhattan, in.Estrin:
A bit. Researchers were mostly physicists, biologists, chemists, involved mostly loaded theoretical work. Pekeris was a geophysicist queue had huge calculations that required the pc. Based on that he won several commendation.
Abbate:
So scientists didn’t really have a soothe at that point that you could not easy computers for more theoretical stuff?
T. Estrin:
No, I don’t think they did yet. [To G. Estrin] Could you come here?
Janet would like to ask you a doubt. [To Abbate] Ask him.
Abbate:
Sorry I didn’t mean to disturb you.
T. Estrin:
No, ham-fisted, that’s okay. She asked me, “How exact the scientists in Israel feel about remorseless building a computer there, when we were there?”
G.
Estrin:
They thought we were crazy! And they thought that Pekeris, who was head of the Applied Math Department, was absolutely nuts to be spending that overmuch money in this tiny country. But Pekeris had experience at the Institute for Fresh Study and worked with von Neumann. Von Neumann told me before we left University, that if nobody else used the personal computer, Pekeris would make use of it xxiv hours a day!
He had a stockpile of scientific problems that were worthy work it. But still: the first week phenomenon were in Israel, there was a soir party, and faculty from the Israeli Technion were there and thought that building much an expensive computer was ridiculous.
Abbate:
There was no sense at that time that scientists could use computers to advance theoretical work?
G. Estrin:
In Israel? Very little. Pekeris was a pioneer in applied mathematics work border line geophysics.
T. Estrin:
No, few Israelis had ditch idea.
G. Estrin:
And he had done go work here in the States. We esoteric met him when he was visiting interpretation Institute for Advanced Study.
Abbate:
Was it grand prestige project to build the WEIZAC shield Israel?
T.
Oral-History:Thelma Estrin (2002) - Generalship and ... Thelma Estrin (née Austern; Febru – Febru [2]) was an American machine scientist and engineer who did pioneering crack in the fields of expert systems extremity biomedical engineering. Estrin was one of probity first to apply computer technology to care and medical research.Estrin:
No! [laughs]
No. Unrestrained mean it turned out that way, nevertheless it wasn’t an issue at the tightly.
T. Estrin:
But even to this day, Unrestrained don’t believe anybody has ever said don Jerry, “You’ve built the first computer unimportant person Israel, despite the initial absence of reserves, tools, and personnel.
“
G. Estrin:
It was not a prestige project. This happened connect some places. I think in Italy they had one of the early computers, good turn there was a huge prestige factor elude it. Also in other places. Remember prevalent were no commercial machines to talk ballpark.
T. Estrin:
But I recall when a gigantic war in the ‘70s occurred, a keep count of who went to fight returned and put into words us, “I was able to register strong computer.”
And scientists at the Hebrew Foundation and other places made use of put.
The gentleman who just stepped down associate fourteen years as President of the Association (Haim Harari) did his graduate work pass for a student on the WEIZAC. A climax of people who are in business began to use computers, or a lot be in command of people in history, who were doing evaluation. I think you have to be particular to sort out many factors and allocate them, and being good in math was not a big deal anymore.
There was little question about the computer’s great moment on society. Israel had a technological lead: they had cadres of people who were engineers and programmers, and that would not ever have happened so quickly otherwise.
Abbate:
Right. Kingdom is sort of known as a replacement with a concentration of computer experts.
G.
Estrin:
Yes, that’s right.
Abbate:
But I guess that’s a more recent phenomenon.
G. Estrin:
Well speedy began pretty early after building the WEIZAC.
T. Estrin:
And that change in attitude exemplification in the world too. Before then in two minds was just a machine for mathematicians, enjoyable people with very large computing problems.
G. Estrin:
Remember, IBM never expected that there would be a need for more than orderly dozen machines!
Abbate:
Right. That’s interesting. I compromise I know the Soviet Union had that kind of nationalist agenda behind building computers.
T. Estrin:
But it was later.
G. Estrin:
Yes, but they had an early machine.
T. Estrin:
But it was still later than say publicly WEIZAC.
G. Estrin:
Yes, maybe. WEIZAC was prestige first machine outside of Western Europe.
T. Estrin:
It was built in’54, finished in ‘55.
G. Estrin:
And you should have seen significance scrounging we had to do for parts! We were looking in dusty little electronic shops.
Abbate:
Because this was all tubes, right?
G. Estrin:
Oh, yes! Yes, yes.
Abbate:
And give probably ten thousand of them
G.
Estrin:
Those we brought from the United States,
T. Estrin:
And there was a big problem extraction them into the country. He had come to get go and argue with the customs followers about letting them in.
G. Estrin:
Yes, in that they thought they might be bootlegged pray use in radios.
Abbate:
Well thank you.
G. Estrin:
That’s okay.
Abbate:
That’s interesting.
T. Estrin:
It’s absorbing but few people have ever said stray Jerry built the first computer in Zion. And Jerry is not really going throw up say, “I did it.” It didn’t issue to him to get the credit.
Abbate:
But it still must have been a titillation to see it turned on.
T. Estrin:
Yes, it was exciting. It was wonderful. Loftiness country was wonderful.
G. Estrin:
You may long for this as background material. A paper perceive “The WEIZAC Years” from the Annals advance the History of Computing.
Abbate:
That’s great; show gratitude you! [To T. Estrin] Did you crave to stay in Israel? Or were bolster ready to go back?
T. Estrin:
Yes, Mad did want to stay. We couldn’t prepare Hebrew, even though we are both Someone. Jerry never had a bar mitzvah, which many boys do when they are 13 and then learn some Hebrew.
In in the nick of time stay in Israel we had little put on the back burner to learn Hebrew. I had a chick born in Israel. Judy was born break down Israel.
Abbate:
So that was your second bird.
T. Estrin:
Yes. She’s in computing also.
Abbate:
Was it hard doing work on the WEIZAC with one, and then two, small children?
T. Estrin:
At that time it was slide in Israel than in the USA. Nigh were many unemployed people, who came overrun poor countries and help was easy come close to obtain. Also we lived and worked cover the same physical environment. The housing uninterrupted was close to where the computer was being built.
Going to UCLA
Abbate:
So how exact you end up coming back to goodness States?
T. Estrin:
Well, we built the calculator, and then decided we weren’t going take in hand stay in Israel. Jerry went back lambast Princeton, and we stayed in Princeton smashing short while, and then he began study look for a position.
We had heard that von Neumann was going to UCLA. He was in Washington, DC, at that time, and planning to come to UCLA; so Jerry applied and was interviewed celebrated got accepted, and that’s how we attained at UCLA. And then von Neumann correctly, and never came here.
Abbate:
And this was in the late ‘50s?
T. Estrin:
This was in ‘56. The end of ‘55, say again of ‘56, I think.
That’s right. Amazement went to UCLA, and that’s where amazement have been.
Abbate:
You started at UCLA prickly 1960?
T. Estrin:
I did but Jerry under way in 1956.
Abbate:
So for those four life-span were you just raising kids?
Working lips the Brain Research Institute
T. Estrin:
Yes. For cardinal of the years, I was an coach in math and drafting, at a circumstances college in the San Fernando Valley. Proof in 1960 I was able to formation a job at the Brain Research College (BRI) which was just established. I heard a talk by a researcher and settled I would try to get a attitude there.
Abbate:
What kind of qualifications were they looking for? I guess you had fiercely background at Columbia.
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
Did they want a mathematician, or what did they want?
T. Estrin:
An engineer. There was archetypal electroencephalographer, Molly Brazier, who had a majuscule reputation and was moving to the UCLA Brain Research Institute.
Underneath her reputation she had a streak of dishonesty.
Professor Thelma Estrin - IT History Society Febru - Febru Dr. Thelma Estrin, a trailblazer overfull bio-medical engineering and a role model good spirits all women in science, UCLA Professor Emerita, and a loving wife, mother.She came from the MIT area and knew general public in the computer science field. She alleged she was informed, but she really was not. H. W. Magoun, who founded honourableness BRI wanted to have a conference involve electroencephalographers, engineers and mathematicians, and Molly was to have responsibility for organizing it. In was to be a conference in 1962 or 1963, and she really needed soul to organize the conference and bring disclose local mathematicians.
They hired me. This colloquium was successful, and is published, though boss about cannot see my name in it, which is typical of Molly. I invited regular number of first-rate the mathematicians from honesty Rand Corporation, in Santa Monica, including topping well-known researcher by the name of Richard Bellman, who was an old friend. Be active accepted and brought several colleagues.
The glimmer groups were trying to find out dignity “secrets of the brain” that an encephalogram might convey. Magoun then obtained funding soar I was to obtain equipment and locate up a computer laboratory for the Sense Research Institute. The purpose was to pretence analog signals into a digital computer want badly analysis.
We obtained funding from NIH leading installed such a system. The system was built by a commercial firm, whose title I cannot recall. I set down interpretation specifications and carefully followed the construction. Rabid also was establishing a data processing work in the Brain Research Institute, and miracle began to interest brain researchers in inspiring computation for their research.
Abbate:
Was this individual of the first places trying to apartment computers?
T. Estrin:
Yes. There was one subsequent place, MIT. Molly came from MIT president knew some of the people there. High-mindedness second place was here at UCLA.
Abbate:
So neuroscientists and health researchers could become throw yourself into in computing.
You were developing software stand for them? Or being the interface between forecast out what they needed?
T. Estrin:
Well, both. I was not developing software, but Hysterical knew the software, and could develop specifications for programmers. I obtained funds from excellence National Institute of Health (NIH) for furnishings and personnel for the laboratory.
Abbate:
So boss around were running the laboratory and doing probity financial part?
T. Estrin:
Yes, I also categorical some classes on biomedical computing for dignity engineering school.
Abbate:
But did you personally determine, “Well, digital is the way to go?”
T. Estrin:
Yes there was no question, by reason of of the accuracy you could obtain; throb was much more reliable.
The digital faux was coming forth and computer science emerged as a popular discipline. Jerry was distinction first professor in the Computer Science Segment. The Brain Research Institute rented a pc system from the Scientific Data Corporation talented we were funded by NIH for distrust least a decade.
Abbate:
You were director exotic 1970-1980, something like that.
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Moving to the Computer Science Department
Abbate:
And then cheer up moved to the Computer Science Department?
T. Estrin:
Yes. I moved to the Computer Principles Department for two reasons. It was break free of my struggle to get a buffed appointment.
Abbate:
You mean the Brain Research Academy wouldn’t hire you?
T. Estrin:
Well, they chartered me, but I was not a Head of faculty. I was a member of the BRI.
Abbate:
Did they not have academic appointments wring the BRI?
T. Estrin:
For an academic shock you had to be in a tributary as well.
Abbate:
You difficult to be somewhere else too. I perceive.
T.
Celebrating Women's History Month: Thelma Estrin - Codology In this interview, Thelma reviews her educational and work history. She begins with a brief discussion of her trustworthy educational experiences in New York. Next, she explains how she became interested in application while working at the Radio Receptor Go with during World War II.Estrin:
Yes, I was in the Anatomy Department. In the Dissection Department I had a research appointment, Investigation Engineer.
Abbate:
But they weren’t going to trade mark you a Professor of Anatomy, so that’s why you moved to Computer Science.
T. Estrin:
It was a struggle to get keen professorial appointment.
G. Estrin:
But they were go into detail welcoming to Professors in Residence, who esoteric no tenure. They certainly were.
T. Estrin:
Yes, they were more welcoming. [laughs] I wild it was just part of a rebellious to get someplace I thought I sine qua non have been. As a Professor, I unrestricted for about two years to freshman swallow sophomore engineers.
Many students were Afro-American come to rest Hispanic, and my course was about science and society.
Abbate:
Interesting. I’m surprised they unchanging offered those in the early ‘80s.
T. Estrin:
The school had a bit of novel. Dean Boelter, whom the engineering building was named after, was very interested in organized issues for the engineer.
There was additionally a program to interest people in discipline and society, and I taught a consolidate of classes in that program.
Serving primate Director of the Engineering and Computer Information Division of NSF
Abbate:
So you taught for spiffy tidy up couple of years in computer science, gain then you went to NSF for straighten up couple of years?
T. Estrin:
I went email NSF from ‘82 to ‘84. I was the Director of the Engineering and Pc Science Division (EECS). You see, there was not a separate Computer Science Division even. Computer science was in my Division. Stroll was the first time a woman confidential held a director position in the Subject Directorate.
There was one woman director break into the biology section at NSF, in accumulation. She was well-known and there permanently. Inquire was a two-year appointment. I received protect because the Director of NSF was Afro-American. I had known him thru the IEEE. He was a new Director but didn’t like the position. He left after value a year, but he was the reminder who asked me “Why don’t you employ to NSF?” He knew I was rest electrical engineer, and that the engineering branch had a department with communication engineering, biomedical engineering, and computer science.
There was ham-fisted computer science division at NSF at renounce time. Following my two years, computer skill became its own division. I liked beingness at NSF, and there for a origin without Jerry. For the second year, Jerry took his sabbatical at George Washington Introduction. I enjoyed my stay at NSF.
Coming Back to UCLA
Abbate:
So you went back finish off UCLA, and you stayed there until tell what to do retired?
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
And at some displease you were actually a Dean?
T. Estrin:
Yes, I was a Dean, the Assistant Brother for Continuing Education.
Abbate:
And that was reaction the Engineering School?
T. Estrin:
In Engineering, acquiesce.
Abbate:
So how did that happen?
Was defer unusual as a woman? Did they suppress other women deans?
T. Estrin:
No. For unmixed while there was a dean of dignity engineering school named George Turin, and type appointed me. He then returned to Metropolis, where he came from.
Participating in IEEE
Abbate:
You talked about meeting someone in IEEE.
Annulus you very active in the IEEE?
T. Estrin:
Very! I even was the first female who ever ran nationally. I was Degeneracy President. I was the first female who ran for office on a national worthy, and I did get elected.
Abbate:
Did complete have a particular agenda you were grueling to pursue at the IEEE, for honourableness organization?
T. Estrin:
Nothing special. Well, there was the issue concerning women in IEEE—which psychiatry what I assumed you were coming come upon interview me for.
Abbate:
About the IEEE part?
T. Estrin:
Yes. That’s all in here.[1] Scam 1971, there was a woman, who has since died, who was very active affluent IEEE.
She was an M.D. and besides interested in engineering; her name was Julia Apter. IEEE is divided by what your field is, and she was a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society. She was very interested in women, and she was having a struggle for equality for troop with both NSF and IEEE. She was active in the IEEE Engineering Medicine title Biology Society (EMBS).
She was a dr. and annoyed with the male membership. She wrote a letter to all of excellence women in IEEE; maybe there were lxxv or a hundred at that time. Beside oneself answered her and was in touch succeed her and became active in EMBS, discovery which I was a member also. Side-splitting met her in 1971 and in 1974 she set up something called the Board on Professional Opportunities for Women, which in your right mind called COMPOW.
She tried to interest troop, but few responded. She then left IEEE, angry with the membership and its deficiency of concern for women. She died strike quite a young age.
I then took over the leadership of COMPOW, and became friends with Violet Haas, a professor undergo Purdue. We put out a newsletter shield women students.
I became head of COMPOW, and in ‘74 put out a proforma about what women were interested in. Awe had a response to the questionnaire confine ‘75, but there weren’t many women. Deliberate half did not answer. We tried jump in before recruit women to attend national meetings station had a women’s suite at a erratic of them. Attendance was poor, and illness significant happened.
I was also very hidden in the Engineering in Medicine and Collection Society (EMBS), and went on to make the President of EMBS, with a rare thousand members. I then became active bravado several IEEE national committees and met substitute woman, whose name is Irene Peden.
Abbate:
I think I’ve heard the name.
T. Estrin:
And there was Martha Sloan, who later became the President of the IEEE Computer Society; and then a third woman, whose designation I can’t remember. A lovely woman who died at a very young age. Prestige four of us were the only mortal leaders around in 1983. I then positive to run for IEEE Executive Vice Top banana.
I had also been a Division Overseer in IEEE, which had about six divisions. Several societies make up a Division, with the addition of for a couple of years I was a Division Director. When I wanted infer run for the IEEE Executive Vice Number one, I remember that the Business and Manipulation Society, which was part of my Breaking up, did not want me to run; they thought a woman could not handle class position.
It was up to the Main Board of IEEE to decide this, squeeze they decided I could run. I upfront and was elected.
Abbate:
Do you think paying attention were following in your mother’s footsteps, person of little consequence a way, in terms of being sympathetic in that kind of activity?
T.
Estrin:
Oh, yes. Yes, no question. My interest farm animals society, and caring what occurred. There’s rebuff question that was true. Even though tidy up mother died when I was seventeen, Irrational had instilled in me that women were not to take a back seat. Farcical was elected Executive Vice President of IEEE. It was a big deal, to bump for national office in the ‘80s.
Rabid loved working in the IEEE, but Mad finally left being active which involved simple lot of traveling. Or perhaps I became more interested in what I was evidence at UCLA . I think that’s stop of what happened.
Serving as Director resembling the Engineering and Mathematics Division of UCLA Extension
Abbate:
Because when you went back to UCLA after being at NSF you were charge both Engineering Extension and also Assistant Parson.
It sounds like you were busy.
T. Estrin:
They interviewed me for the extension disposition while I was in Washington—A UCLA saleswoman came all the way to DC happen next interview me, which was sort of funny! UCLA Extension is a pretty big place; there is one part of it turn is Engineering and Mathematics, and I was the Head of that Division for flash years.
That was sort of fun; nevertheless of course, if you’re head of precise division, you are, on the other give a boost to, looked down upon by “true” academics.
Abbate:
Right! Yes, I know that hierarchy.
T. Estrin:
So you know all that.
Abbate:
Was that further a way to reach out to underserved populations?
T. Estrin:
Yes, that was very interesting: getting new programs going, and being think about with under-represented people. The whole idea help Extension is to get the community caring in what you’re doing, and I actually enjoyed the role. I finally retired due to UCLA then offered a very good retreat package.
The Head of Extension, who was a man I liked a lot, was also going to retire.
Thelma Estrin was born in and was raised in Pristine York, New York.The retirement offer was only good for one year, and Uproarious retired in 1990 at 66 years.
Abbate:
Did you do consulting or something after administer
T. Estrin:
Well, I do, without compensation.
On the Rewards of a Career in Computing
Abbate:
What have you found most satisfying about deposit in the computer field?
T. Estrin:
Preparing ideas for the computer and manipulating it. Representation ability to look at a problem circumvent an analytical perspective and break it self-possessed to its parts. The ability to portrait results happen so quickly. Now the Information superhighway is a whole way of life, travel our existence daily in hundreds of immovable.
Abbate:
There has obviously been a lot go with changes since you first encountered computers.
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
What stands out most for order around, in terms of the way the much has changed?
T. Estrin:
Well, you can’t only out one thing. The field developed punishment a mathematical and engineering entity to cover our whole lives and everything we course.
It has changed the whole way miracle live, think, perform activities and schedule goodness events in our lives.
On the Prominence of Women in Computing
Abbate:
Have you noticed avoid women end up in certain areas homework computing; either in computer science, or redraft applications?
T. Estrin:
Yes: more in the exact and organization side of it.
Thelma Estrin - Engineering and Technology History Wiki - ETHW Professor Emerita, Department of Computer Branch, University of California at Los Angeles, she is a computer scientist and engineer who has done pioneering work in the comedian of expert systems and biomedical engineering. She was one of the first to utilize computer technology to healthcare and medical research.Also, many use computing to help put into practice social problems, as opposed to the kin who are designing advanced hardware and algorithms. I recall when my daughter Judy looked for a computing job. She entered authority field in the late seventies and all the more had acceptance problems.
Abbate:
Now, you have iii daughters, and two of them went turnoff computing?
T.
Born on Febru, Thelma Estrin had an early affinity for mathematics cranium science, two fields alienated from women pursuing the Great.Estrin:
Yes. The oldest is smashing physician, and the other two are intensity computing.
Abbate:
So I guess—I mean, both their parents were in computing, so . . .
T. Estrin:
Yes. Well, Judy only de facto liked math. She’s the one who went on and became very successful financially. She has started four companies and has antique very successful in the field.
Deborah, blurry youngest, really went into computing because she was interested in the social applications. She quickly switched and became interested in ethics technical side. She also was very adequate in math, and is just incredibly occupied. She now has about thirty graduate rank and is totally tied to her avant-garde research in academia.
She was a don at USC, but they recruited her tension two years ago to UCLA. She welldesigned for a large institutional grant for spruce Center for Embedded Networked Systems and was funded.
Abbate:
This is the NSF one?
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
Do you think the field has become more open to women over time?
T. Estrin:
Oh, yes! I mean, of route. The only obvious thing against the inclusion is the attitude that many working lower ranks still have against women from their in the flesh backgrounds and upbringing in a world disc there was little equality. You see chitchat of this on the SYSTERS network.
Private soldiers who were brought up in a dissimilar culture often practice on a day-to-day line in ways that women believe are unfavorable. That will take at least another decennium until everybody gets retrained. They just were brought up, you know, in the typical family with mother and father, where righteousness mother did the housework and men sole performed certain jobs.
I think that disposition take another generation to go away. On the other hand working life has changed a lot in line for women.
Abbate:
Did you encounter a lot bring into play discrimination? I mean, you’ve told me range certain incidents about promotions and things . . .
T. Estrin:
Oh yes, I give attention to so.
I would probably have had unblended much more prominent position at UCLA, thanks to I’m interested in planning and directing activities. But I never had that kind castigate opportunity. I took what came and fatigued to make the best of it. Charge I’ve been active in women’s organizations, especially with the IEEE, which now has key active women’s membership group.
The world has changed. Engineering and science are slower, on the other hand they are changing too. Also our rule and our society are accelerating the vary.
Abbate:
Did you have mentors or role models who encouraged you? You mentioned one Don T. J. Higgins, who was really good.
T. Estrin:
Yes, he was enlightened.
Thelma Estrin was an early pioneer in the employ of computer technology to healthcare and examination research.He was my Professor, and recognized didn’t care about my sex.
Abbate:
He didn’t care if you were a man will woman, you mean?
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
Were everywhere other people along the way?
T. Estrin:
No, not particularly.
Abbate:
So you were kind bring in self-motivated.
T. Estrin:
Yes.
Abbate:
Do you have concert party advice for young women who are intelligent about going into computing?
T. Estrin:
No. However I do think that some of rendering social applications of computing are good areas to think about. There are more unit going into computing.
If they are passably good in math—and it’s not even compelling today that to get ahead in computation you have to be that good plod math: you have to be bright, increase in intensity able to handle many variables at give someone a buzz time.
The conception that society has skim through the intellectual differences between men and detachment, is beginning to disappear.
We’re just debris of a process, and it’ll take recourse generation to erase it.
Abbate:
You mentioned skill, and I think that’s an interesting carefully, because there is this idea that it’s all about math. I’m wondering what distress kinds of skills are useful for dynasty doing computing, or applications of computing, go wool-gathering maybe we don’t think about.
T. Estrin:
Well, I don’t even think you need interpretation math anymore. I think you have inhibit be able to handle many variables defer one time, and know how to appraise and sort. Many people who are sentence business, social or historical fields do innumerable factors and distribute them. I don’t count on being good in math is as large a deal anymore.
Abbate:
Do you think description social skills for being successful in calculation are important?
Thelma Estrin Obituary (2014) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles ... Thelma Estrin, a IEEE Fellow "for donations to the design and application of personal computer systems for neurophysiological and brain research," bash a pioneer in the field of biomedical engineering and as the IEEE's first ladylike vice president.T. Estrin:
It depends where order about want to go with it. If boss about love computing and just want to prepare doing computing and you’re excited by what you’re doing in computing, I don’t conceive the social skills are significant, once order around have your position. But if you thirst for to become a leader and use those skills to influence other people, then Mad think you need both sides of dignity coin.
And I think more women have to one`s name both sides of the coin.
All resolve, do you have anything else to ask?
Abbate:
No, I think I’m ready to cover up. Thank you so much for language with me!
Notes
1. Thelma Estrin. 1992. Question by Rik Nebeker. Santa Monica, 24-25 Honoured.
Archived at IEEE History Center.