Bert Sutherland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bert Sutherland
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William Robert Sutherland
May 10, 1936 Hastings, Nebraska, United States
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| Died | February 18, 2020 (aged 83) Mountain View, California, U.S.
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| Known for | Computer Research Management, Computer Graphics |
| Awards | Legion of Merit |
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| Doctoral advisor | Claude Shannon |
William Robert Sutherland (born May 10, 1936 – died February 18, 2020), also known as Bert Sutherland, was an American computer scientist. He was a manager at important research labs for many years. These labs included Sun Microsystems Laboratories, Xerox PARC, and the Computer Science Division of Bolt, Beranek and Newman. BBN helped create the early Internet, called the ARPANET.
Bert Sutherland played a big part in developing many technologies we use today. These include the personal computer, advanced microprocessors (the "brains" of computers), the Smalltalk programming language, the Java programming language, and the Internet.
Contents
A Different Kind of Leader
Bert Sutherland was not like typical research managers. He believed that understanding people was key to making better technology.
Bringing New Ideas to Tech
He brought experts from fields like psychology (how people think), cognitive science (how the mind works), and anthropology (the study of human societies) to work with his tech teams. This helped make technology more useful and easier for people to use.
Testing Tech in the Real World
Sutherland also encouraged his scientists to take their new inventions out of the lab. For example, they tested the Xerox Alto "personal" computer in real offices. This allowed them to watch how people used the technology. Learning from real-world use helped them make improvements.
Helping Create Modern Computer Chips
Bert Sutherland also supported a very important project in computer chip design.
Working with VLSI Technology
He helped researchers at California Institute of Technology who were developing very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI). This technology allows millions of tiny electronic parts to fit onto a single computer chip. His brother, Ivan Sutherland, and Carver Mead were leading this work.
Sutherland also connected them with Lynn Conway, who worked at Xerox PARC. With resources from PARC, Mead and Conway created a textbook and a university course. This helped spread VLSI technology quickly. Today, VLSI is a huge part of almost all electronic devices.
Research Labs as Learning Places
Bert Sutherland believed that a research lab is mainly a place for teaching. He said its job is to "teach whatever is new so that the new can become familiar, old, and used widely." This means labs help new ideas become common and useful for everyone.
Early Life and Education
William Robert Sutherland was born in Hastings, Nebraska, on May 10, 1936. His father was from New Zealand, and his mother was from Scotland.
Moving and Studying
His family moved several times for his father's job. They lived in Wilmette, Illinois, and then Scarsdale, New York. Bert graduated from Scarsdale High School.
He earned his first degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He then got his master's degree and Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His professor for his Ph.D. was Claude Shannon, a famous scientist.
Military Service and Family
During his time in the United States Navy, Bert Sutherland was a commander of a plane that hunted submarines. He received the Legion of Merit award for his service. He was the older brother of Ivan Sutherland, another well-known computer scientist.
Bert Sutherland passed away on February 18, 2020, at the age of 83.
