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IMMEDIATE
 New York, May 11, 2004 -- The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE CS) will jointly present the coveted Eckert-Mauchly Award to Frederick P. Brooks Jr., for the definition of computer architecture and contributions to the concept of computer families and principles of instruction set design. Dr. Brooks was manager for development of the IBM System/360 family of computers. He coined the term "computer architecture," and led the team that first achieved strict compatibility in a computer family. Dr. Brooks will receive the 2004 Eckert-Mauchly Award, known as the most prestigious award in the computer architecture community, and its $5000 prize, at the International Symposium on Computer Architecture, in Munich, Germany on June 22, 2004. Dr. Brooks joined IBM in 1956, and in 1960, became head of system architecture. He managed engineering, market requirements, software, and architecture for the proposed IBM/360 family of computers. The concept - a group of seven computers ranging from small to large that could process the same instructions in exactly the same way - was revolutionary. It meant that all supporting software could be standardized, enabling IBM to dominate the computer market for over 20 years. Dr. Brooks' team also employed a random access disk that let the System/360s run programs far larger than the size of their physical memory. In his influential book The Mythical Man-Month: Essays in Software Engineering, Dr. Brooks candidly chronicled the development of the IBM Operating System/360. He condemned the corporate practice of adding more people to a software development task in hopes of speeding up its completion. "Since software construction is inherently a systems effort - an exercise in complex interrelationships - communication effort is great and it quickly dominates the decrease in individual task time brought about by partitioning," he wrote. He contended that "adding more men then lengthens, not shortens, the schedule." The book, originally published in 1975, remains a defining work in the field of software engineering. Dr. Brooks' work on computer architecture is summarized in Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution, co-authored with G. A. Blaauw and published in 1997. The book, which includes a "zoo" of 30 classical computers, each described in a standard format, illustrates how computer architectures diverged for the first 40 years of the discipline, but have since converged. Dr. Brooks left IBM in 1965 to establish a computer science department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which he chaired for 20 years. He is currently Kenan Professor of Computer Science at UNC, where his principal research is 3-D interactive graphics and virtual environments. Dr. Brooks received an AB in physics from Duke University and a PhD in computer science from Harvard University, under Howard Aiken. A 1999 winner of ACM's Turing Award, considered the "Nobel Prize of Computing," Dr. Brooks was the first recipient of ACM's Allen Newel Award in 1994. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences, and a former member of the National Science Board and the Defense Science Board. In 1985, Dr. Brooks became one of the first recipients of the National Medal of Technology presented by the President of the United States. He was recognized as an IEEE Computer Society Charter Computer Pioneer for his work on the IBM/System/360 and honored in 1989 for lasting contributions to computer science education and 3D computer graphics interactive with the Harry Goode Award. ACM and IEEE CS will jointly present the Eckert-Mauchly Award, which was initiated in 1989, and is given for contributions to computer and digital systems architecture. It was named for John Presper Eckert and John William Mauchly, who collaborated on the design and construction of the first large scale electronic computing machine, known as ENIAC - the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, in 1947. About ACM ACM (www.acm.org) is widely recognized as the premier organization for computing professionals, delivering a broad array of resources that advance the computing and IT disciplines, enable professional development, and promote policies and research that benefit society. About IEEE CS The IEEE Computer Society is the world's oldest and largest association of computer professionals. It offers over 100,000 members in 150 countries a comprehensive program of publications, meetings, and technical and educational activities. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the society serves its members from offices in Los Alamitos, CA and Tokyo, Japan. The Computer Society is the largest technical society within the IEEE. |
