John Hopcroft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Edward Hopcroft
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Hopcroft in 2006 at ITMO University
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| Born | October 7, 1939 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Seattle University (BS) Stanford University (MS, PhD) |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
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| Thesis | Synthesis of Threshold Logic Networks (1964) |
| Doctoral advisor | Richard Mattson |
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John Edward Hopcroft (born October 7, 1939) is an American computer scientist. He studies the basic ideas behind how computers work. His books about the theory of computation and data structures are very important in his field. He is a professor at Cornell University. He also helps lead computer science centers in China, at Peking University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Hopcroft grew up in the United States. He went to Seattle University and earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1961. This field is about designing and using electrical systems. He then continued his studies at Stanford University. There, he earned his master's degree in 1962 and his PhD in 1964, both in electrical engineering.
His grandfather, Jacob Nist, started a company called the Seattle-Tacoma Box Company in 1889.
Career and Achievements
After finishing his studies, John Hopcroft worked at Princeton University for three years. Since then, he has been a professor at Cornell University.
Important Books
Besides his research, Professor Hopcroft is famous for the books he wrote. He co-authored books on algorithms and formal languages with Jeffrey Ullman and Alfred Aho. Algorithms are like step-by-step instructions that computers follow to solve problems. Formal languages are special languages used to describe how computers process information. These books are considered classic texts in computer science.
Major Awards
In 1986, John Hopcroft received the Turing Award. This is one of the highest honors in computer science, often called the "Nobel Prize of computing." He shared this award with Robert Tarjan. They won it for their important work in designing and analyzing algorithms and data structures.
He is also known for the Hopcroft–Karp algorithm. This algorithm helps find "matchings" in certain types of graphs, which are like networks of points and lines. In 1994, he became a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, a leading group for computer professionals.
In 2005, he received the Harry H. Goode Memorial Award. This award recognized his important contributions to algorithms and how they are used in processing information. In 2008, he won the Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award. This award honored his vision and impact on computer science education. It recognized his classic textbooks, his guidance to PhD students, and his leadership in computer science worldwide.
Leadership and Recognition
In 1989, John Hopcroft was chosen as a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This is a very respected group of engineers in the U.S. In 1992, he was nominated to the National Science Board by President George H. W. Bush. This board advises the U.S. government on science and engineering.
He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities around the world. These are special degrees given to people who have made great achievements. In 2017, a new center for computer science was opened and named after him at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. In 2020, another institute, the Hopcroft Institute for Advanced Information Sciences, opened in China.
In 2010, he received the IEEE John von Neumann Medal with Jeffrey Ullman. This award was for their work in creating the basic ideas for automata and language theory, which are key parts of theoretical computer science.
Awards
- 1986. Turing Award
- 1989. National Academy of Engineering Member
- 1994. ACM Fellow
- 2005. Harry H. Goode Memorial Award
- 2008. Karl Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award
- 2010. IEEE John von Neumann Medal
- 2016. Friendship Award (China)
Selected Books
- 2017. Foundations of Data Science. (with Avrim Blum and Ravindran Kannan)
- 2001. J.E. Hopcroft, Rajeev Motwani, Jeffrey D. Ullman, Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation Second Edition.
- 1983. Alfred V. Aho, J.E. Hopcroft, Jeffrey D. Ullman, Data Structures and Algorithms.
- 1974. Alfred V. Aho, J.E. Hopcroft, Jeffrey D. Ullman, The Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms.
- 1969. Formal Languages and Their Relation to Automata. (with Jeffrey D. Ullman)
See also
In Spanish: John Hopcroft para niños
- Hopcroft's problem of finding point–line incidences
