Kristen Nygaard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kristen Nygaard
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Kristen Nygaard at the Brazilian Symposium on Programming Languages (SBLP '97)
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| Born | 27 August 1926 Oslo, Norway
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| Died | 10 August 2002 (aged 75) Oslo, Norway
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| Citizenship | Norway |
| Education | M.Sc., University of Oslo (1956) |
| Known for | Object-oriented programming Simula |
| Awards | Turing Award (2001) IEEE John von Neumann Medal (2002) Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions | Norwegian Defense Research Establishment Norwegian Operational Research Society Norwegian Computing Center Aarhus University University of Oslo Simula Research Laboratory |
| Thesis | Theoretical Aspects of Monte Carlo methods (1956) |
Kristen Nygaard (born August 27, 1926, died August 10, 2002) was a smart Norwegian computer scientist. He was also a pioneer in creating programming languages and a politician. Nygaard is famous around the world for helping invent "object-oriented programming". He also co-created the programming language called Simula with Ole-Johan Dahl in the 1960s. For their amazing work in computer science, Nygaard and Dahl won the A. M. Turing Award in 2001.
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Kristen Nygaard's Early Life and Career
Kristen Nygaard was born in Oslo, Norway. He earned his master's degree in mathematics in 1956. This was from the University of Oslo. His special project was about "Monte Carlo methods," which are ways to solve problems using random numbers.
From 1948 to 1960, Nygaard worked for the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment. He focused on computing and programming. Later, he worked on "operational research," which is about using math to make better decisions.
In 1960, he joined the Norwegian Computing Center (NCC). He helped build it into an important research place. By 1962, he became its Director of Research.
Developing Object-Oriented Programming
Kristen Nygaard and Ole-Johan Dahl came up with the first ideas for object-oriented programming (OOP). They did this in the 1960s at the Norwegian Computing Center. Their work was part of creating the Simula programming languages.
Simula I (1961–1965) and Simula 67 (1965–1968) were based on another language called ALGOL 60. These new languages introduced key ideas of OOP. These ideas included objects, classes, and inheritance. They also allowed programs to run multiple tasks at once.
In 2004, a group called AITO created a special award. It's called the Dahl–Nygaard Prize. This prize honors people who have made big contributions to object-oriented programming. It's given every year at a conference called ECOOP.
Nygaard also did research for Norwegian trade unions. He looked at how computers and planning could help workers. He also helped create a language called DELTA (1973–1975).
He was a professor at Aarhus University in Denmark from 1975 to 1976. Later, he became a professor at the University of Oslo. His teaching and research helped create the "Scandinavian School in System Development." This school focuses on "participatory design," where users help design systems.
Starting in 1976, Nygaard worked on a new object-oriented language called BETA. He worked with other smart people on this project. BETA is now used on many different computers.
Kristen Nygaard's Later Career and Research
In the 1980s, Nygaard led a research program called SYDPOL. This program helped coordinate research in system development and languages. He also chaired a project about how artificial intelligence affects professional work.
From 1995 to 1999, Nygaard researched distributed systems. These are systems where different parts of a program run on separate computers. He led a project called GOODS (General Object-Oriented Distributed Systems). This project aimed to improve object-oriented languages. It helped them describe how programs work with computer hardware and people.
Nygaard's last research looked at how to teach programming. He also wanted to create a new way to understand informatics. He gave many lectures and courses on these topics. In 2001, he joined the Simula Research Laboratory part-time.
Awards and Recognition for Kristen Nygaard
Kristen Nygaard received many honors for his work.
- In 1990, he got an honorary doctorate from Lund University in Sweden.
- In 1991, he was the first person to receive an honorary doctorate from Aalborg University in Denmark.
- He became a member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences.
- In 1990, he received the Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility.
- In 1999, he and Ole-Johan Dahl received the first Rosing Prize. This award is for outstanding achievements in computing in Norway.
- In 2000, the Object Management Group gave him an Honorary Fellowship. This was for his original ideas in object technology.
- In 2001, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) gave Nygaard and Dahl the IEEE John von Neumann Medal. This was for their work on object-oriented programming through Simula 67.
- In 2002, he and Ole-Johan Dahl won the 2001 A. M. Turing Award. This is one of the highest honors in computer science. They won it for their fundamental ideas behind object-oriented programming.
- In 2000, King Harald V of Norway made him a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
Kristen Nygaard's Other Activities
Nygaard was also very active in other areas.
- He led the Informatics Committee at the University of Oslo. He helped plan how the university would develop its research and computing facilities.
- He was the first chairman of the Environment Protection Committee for a Norwegian nature protection group.
- For 10 years, he represented Norway in OECD activities related to information technology.
- He worked with trade unions in many countries.
Involvement in Norwegian Politics
Kristen Nygaard was very involved in Norwegian politics.
- In the 1960s, he was part of the National Executive Committee of the Norwegian Liberal Party.
- He played a big role in the political debate before the 1972 vote. This vote was about whether Norway should join the European Common Market (now the European Union). Nygaard worked to keep Norway out of the Common Market.
From 1971 to 2001, Nygaard was a member of the Labour Party. He served on their committees that focused on research policies.
In 1988, he became chairman of a group called Nei til EF (No to the EU). This group shared information about Norway's relationship with the Common Market. It worked to keep Norway from joining. By 1994, Nei til EF became the largest political group in Norway.
In the vote on November 28, 1994, "Nei til EU" won. 52.2% of voters said "No" to joining the EU. The number of people who voted was very high, at 88.8%. Nygaard believed that Norway should focus on its own welfare state instead of joining the EU.
He stepped down as chairman in 1995. Later, he helped start The European Anti-Maastricht Movement (TEAM) in 1997. This group connected organizations across Europe that were against certain EU treaties.
Kristen Nygaard's Personal Life
Kristen Nygaard married Johanna Nygaard in 1951. She worked for a Norwegian agency that helped developing countries. She focused on finding and supporting specialists in East Africa. Kristen and Johanna Nygaard had three children and seven grandchildren.
Kristen Nygaard passed away in 2002 from a heart attack.
