Jack Dongarra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jack Dongarra
|
|
|---|---|
Dongarra in 2022
|
|
| Born | July 18, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
|
| Education |
|
| Known for | EISPACK, LINPACK, BLAS, LAPACK, ScaLAPACK, Netlib, PVM, MPI, NetSolve, Top500, ATLAS, and PAPI |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer Science Computational science Parallel computing |
| Institutions | University of Tennessee University of New Mexico Rice University Argonne National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory University of Manchester |
| Thesis | Improving the Accuracy of Computed Matrix Eigenvalues (1980) |
| Doctoral advisor | Cleve Moler |
Jack Joseph Dongarra (born July 18, 1950) is an American computer scientist and mathematician. He is a professor at the University of Tennessee and works at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He also holds a special position at the University of Manchester. Jack Dongarra is famous for his work in making computers solve big math problems faster. He received the Turing Award in 2021, which is like the Nobel Prize for computing.
Contents
Jack Dongarra's Education
Jack Dongarra studied mathematics and computer science. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science (BSc), in mathematics from Chicago State University in 1972. A BSc degree usually takes about four years to complete.
He then went on to get a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1973. An MSc degree is an advanced degree that usually takes one or two years after a bachelor's.
In 1980, he completed his highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), in Applied Mathematics from the University of New Mexico. A PhD is a research degree that shows someone is an expert in their field. His advisor for this degree was Cleve Moler, another famous computer scientist.
Jack Dongarra's Career and Research
Jack Dongarra worked at the Argonne National Laboratory until 1989. He became a senior scientist there. His main focus is on creating special computer programs, called numerical algorithms, that help computers do math very quickly and accurately. He also works on parallel computing, which means making many computers or parts of a computer work together at the same time to solve a problem faster.
Making Computers Faster with Software
Jack Dongarra has helped create many important software tools. These tools are like special instruction sets that help computers perform complex calculations. Some of the well-known tools he helped develop include:
- EISPACK and LINPACK: These were some of the first software libraries for solving problems in linear algebra. Linear algebra is a type of math used in many areas, from engineering to computer graphics.
- Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) and LAPACK: These are like advanced toolkits that help computers do common math operations very efficiently.
- ScaLAPACK: This tool helps these math operations work on very large, powerful computers that use parallel computing.
- Message Passing Interface (MPI): This is a standard way for different parts of a computer program to talk to each other when running on many computers at once.
- TOP500: Jack Dongarra is also involved with the TOP500 list, which ranks the world's most powerful supercomputers.
These software tools are used in many popular programs like MATLAB, Maple, Wolfram Mathematica, and SciPy. This means that when you use these programs for math or science, you are often using the ideas and tools that Jack Dongarra helped create!
Sharing Knowledge and Code
Jack Dongarra also helped start Netlib with Eric Grosse. Netlib was one of the first ways to share open-source computer code and information online. This made it easier for scientists and researchers around the world to use and improve these powerful math tools. He has written many articles and books about his work. He continues to work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Manchester.
Awards and Honors
Jack Dongarra has received many important awards for his contributions to computer science.
In 2004, he received the IEEE Sid Fernbach Award. This award recognized his innovative ways of using high-performance computers. In 2008, he received the first IEEE Medal of Excellence in Scalable Computing.
He was also honored with the ACM/IEEE Ken Kennedy Award in 2013. This award recognized his leadership in setting standards for mathematical software. These standards help ensure that computer programs for math problems work well on powerful computers.
The Turing Award
In 2021, Jack Dongarra received the prestigious Turing Award. This award is often called the "Nobel Prize of Computing." He received it "for pioneering contributions to numerical algorithms and libraries that enabled high performance computational software to keep pace with exponential hardware improvements for over four decades."
This means that his work created the essential computer programs and tools that allowed supercomputers to become incredibly fast and powerful over many years. His algorithms and software have greatly helped the growth of high-performance computing. They have also had a huge impact on many areas of computational science, from making artificial intelligence smarter to creating amazing computer graphics.
Other Recognitions
Jack Dongarra is a Fellow of several important scientific organizations. These include the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Being a Fellow means he is recognized as a leading expert in his field.
In 2001, he was elected a member of the US National Academy of Engineering. In 2023, he was also elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. These are very high honors that recognize his important research and achievements in high-performance computing.
See also
In Spanish: Jack Dongarra para niños
