Tracing the history of GAG

Geophysics ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 5JA-5JA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Processing ◽  
Digital Signal Processing ◽  
Early Development ◽  
Digital Signal ◽  
Massachusetts Institute ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
75Th Anniversary ◽  
Analysis Group ◽  
History Of ◽  
Institute Of Technology

In the following two articles — part of a series of Geophysics articles published in 2005 to mark the 75th anniversary of SEG — Enders Robinson and Sven Trietel revisit the early development of digital signal processing (DSP) in the Geophysical Analysis Group (GAG) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Chromosome banding in cultured cells transformed by polyoma virus

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 950-951
Author(s):  
H. M. Mazzone
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Banding ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Polyoma Virus ◽  
Massachusetts Institute ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Banding Patterns ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
History Of ◽  
Institute Of Technology

Chromosome banding procedures commonly employ treatment steps in order to visualize the bands. In various cases, band-positive regions of chromosomes are observed after the latter are exposed to, e.g., acids, bases, salts, heat, or enzymes. Recently, mouse chromosomes treated with the antibiotic actinomysin D and the dye acridine orange demonstrated high resolution G-banding patterns by light microscopy. However, occasionally, banding can be produced with little or no treatment of the chromosomes. The present report describes the presence of bands in chromosomes of cultured cells whereby no treatment steps, as noted above, were employed. It is interesting that the history of the cells included their transformation by polyoma virus.Maintenance of virus-transformed Syrian hamster cell lines and their examination in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) was done in the Department of Biology of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

New Partnerships at MIT

1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-167
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Moebus
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Massachusetts Institute ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
History Of ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
And Function

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a long history of innovation in its relationships with industry. The form and function of its Industrial Liaison Program were reported in an earlier issue of Industry and Higher Education. This article explores why companies build relationships with universities, and how they value these programmes and activities. The author also describes two important programmes underway at MIT to craft new partnerships with US industry.

Introduction

Geophysics ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-417
Author(s):  
Sven Treurel ◽  
Enders A. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Massachusetts Institute ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Analysis Group ◽  
Full Participation ◽  
Institute Of Technology

In 1950, a small research project concerned with the application of the theory of time series to seismic data analysis was formed within the Mathematics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This early work was pursued by Dr. E. A. Robinson and by Professor G. P. Wadsworth. The results of these studies were considered promising, and by 1952 a number of oil and geophysical exploration companies had been approached in order to determine their interest in supporting an expanded research program in this area. Eventually a group of these companies agreed to participate in such an effort, and in February 1953 the MIT Geophysical Analysis Group (GAG) was organized within the Department of Geology and Geophysics. Full participation in the activities of the GAG was open at any time to all interested companies. All members provided annual financial support, and a number of them furnished the GAG with data for analysis.

The MIT Geophysical Analysis Group (GAG) from inception to 1954

Geophysics ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 7JA-30JA ◽  
Author(s):  
Enders A. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Signal Processing ◽  
Digital Signal Processing ◽  
Digital Computer ◽  
Random Access ◽  
Digital Signal ◽  
Digital Processing ◽  
Digital Revolution ◽  
Digital Correction ◽  
Alan Turing ◽  
Analysis Group

The beginning of digital signal processing took place in the years 1950 to 1954. Using an econometric model, E. A. Robinson in 1951 came up with the method of deconvolution, which he tested on 32 seismic traces. Norbert Wiener, George Wadsworth, Paul Samuelson, and Robert Solow were his advisors. On the basis of this work, the MIT president's office in 1952 set up and sponsored the Geophysical Analysis Group (GAG) in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. GAG was made up of graduate students doing research in digital signal processing. In 1953, a consortium of oil and geophysical companies took over the sponsorship. At first, GAG used the MIT Whirlwind digital computer. In order to do the larger amount of computing required by the consortium, the Computer Service Section of Raytheon Manufacturing Company was enlisted in 1953. The Raytheon people who played key roles were Richard Clippinger, Bernard Dimsdale, and Joseph H. Levin, all of whom had worked on ENIAC, the world's first electronic digital computer. As originally built, ENIAC did not use programs stored in memory as does a modern computer; instead, the programming was done by rewiring the physical components for each new problem. In 1948, Clippinger was responsible for converting ENIAC into the world's first operational stored-program computer. ENIAC had 20 accumulators but no other random access memory (RAM). The programs were stored in the function tables, which acted as programmable read-only memory(PROM). For GAG work in 1953, Raytheon used the British Ferranti Mark 1 computer (which was the commercial version of the Manchester Mark 1 computer, for which Alan Turing played a key role). This computer was installed at the University of Toronto to help in the design of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Raytheon was plagued by frequent breakdowns of the computer but still produced several hundred seismic deconvolutions for the summer GAG meeting in 1953. The consortium was pleased with the geophysical results but was disheartened by the unreliability of the current state of digital technology. As a result, GAG was directed to find analog ways to do deconvolution. Instead, GAG found that all of the analog methods, and in particular, electric frequency filtering, could be done by digital signal processing. In fact, the digital way provided greater accuracy than the analog way. At the spring meeting in 1954, GAG proposed that all analog processing be thrown out and replaced by digital signal processing. Raytheon was at the meeting and offered to obtain or build all the elements required for digital signal processing, from input to output. The conversion to digital was not done at the time. However, that step did happen in the early 1960s, and exploration geophysics has the distinction of being the first science to experience a total digital revolution. Digital processing today provides seismic images of the interior of the Earth so startling that they compare to images of the stars made by the Hubble telescope. (In fact, the digital method of deconvolution first developed in geophysics made possible the digital correction of the lens of the Hubble telescope.)

History of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England, 1903-1953

1953 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 333-336
Author(s):  
William R. Ransom
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
New England ◽  
Harvard University ◽  
Massachusetts Institute ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Wellesley College ◽  
History Of ◽  
Institute Of Technology

The Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England was first called together by the superintendent of schools in Boston, E. P. Seaver, in 1903. A committee consisting of professors from Harvard University, Wellesley College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and five teachers in secondary schools announced a meeting to be held in the Boston Latin School on April 18, 1903. By a singular chance that date came again on a Saturday fifty years later, when the semicentennial of the Association was celebrated by a dinner, a history, and a festspiel.

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