Introduction to Computer Science COMP-1631

Born in Hastings, Nebraska in 1938 Sutherland showed interest early on in engineering having been expose to his father’s career as a civil engineer He learned how to program a computer (during the 1950’s) which was an amazing feet for a high school student

Early Years Ivan Sutherland began the basis of his career with an impressive educational background He attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology on a full scholarship where he obtained his B.S. in electrical engineering Following Carnegie, he went to the California Institute of Technology to earn an M.S. Then furthered his education even more by pursuing his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of technology Sutherland had his first big accomplishment with MIT having built the Sketchpad for his theses.

The Sketchpad was a computer program that allowed for graphical images to be displayed on a screen using a lightpen It was the first step in achieving Graphical User Interface It was an alternate way of communicating with the computer

Breaking into the real world In 1963, Sutherland was appointed First Lieutenant in the Army and was dedicated to being an electrical engineer just like he always wanted He was transferred a year later, at the age of just 26, to run the Information Processing Techniques office to take part in advanced research projects He aimed to further the field of computer science and preferred to focus on artificial intelligence and timesharing

Sutherland moved from the army to the prestigious position as associate professor of electrical engineering at Harvard University He has an honorary degree from Harvard He remained there for 3 years where he developed computer graphic tools This research was valid however Sutherland chose to head in a different direction in his future works

In 1968, Sutherland and one of his students, Bob Sproull, created what we call today an HDM or Head Mounted Display. It was called the Sword of Democles and it was a machine that was hung from the ceiling due to its enormous weight and simply displayed images Compared to today’s technology this device was primitive with very low quality graphics however, It is arguably the first evidence of having a virtualized display system Interesting Fact: This machine got its name from the Greek story of Democles who had a sword suspended by a hair above his throne and at any moment the hair could break, severing the King. Interesting Fact: This machine got its name from the Greek story of Democles who had a sword suspended by a hair above his throne and at any moment the hair could break, severing the King.

Sutherland was offered a professorial position at the University of Utah Here he met Dave Evans who founded the computer science department at the university Using both of their computer graphics knowledge, Evans and Sutherland completed a series of projects which include computer games.

The two men formed a computer consulting company in Salt Lake City called Evans & Sutherland It is known to be the very first computer graphics company It has been around for the past 4 decades In a year today, their company produces $150 million worth of products They continue to be major developers in computer imaging systems along with being suppliers of simulation equipment used for training pilots The two men formed a computer consulting company in Salt Lake City called Evans & Sutherland It is known to be the very first computer graphics company It has been around for the past 4 decades In a year today, their company produces $150 million worth of products They continue to be major developers in computer imaging systems along with being suppliers of simulation equipment used for training pilots

Includes full dome video imaging Integrated digital universe database They made a series of advanced theatre systems called Digistar It is primarily used in planetariums, museums and science centres

Most of the virtual systems made by Evans and Sutherland use lasers to project the images This creates spectacularly clear and life-like images It contains ``Gap-Free`` pixel technology which allows for smooth and continuous viewing GLV or Grating Light Valve modulator is also another feature which adds to its high quality It has a microchip which has movable mirror parts. This allows for light to be modulated and displayed

Began Leading the computer science department at California Institute of Technology Sutherland teamed up with Carver Mead making integrated circuit design an official field of academic study They even began teaching it opening the doors for future generations of integrated circuit design specialists

Sutherland and his previous student Bob Sproull formed a company called Sutherland, Sproull and Associates It was fairly successful which caught the eye of Sun Microsystems Laboratories who bought the company for its patents and key individuals

Is now the vice president of Sun Microsystems Holds 12 patents Has written over 49 Publications Sutherland is participating is research along side Marly Roncken at the Asynchronous Research Centre in Portland (part of Portland State University)

Computer History Museum Fellow - October 18, 2005 R&D 100 Awards – July 12, 2004 IEEE John Von Neumann Medal – December 9, 1997 Smithsonian Computer World Award First Zworykin Award from the National Academy of Engineering – 1972 A.M Turing Award

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