Azriel Rosenfeld
Encyclopedia
Professor Dr. Azriel Rosenfeld (February 19, 1931 - February 22, 2004) was an American Research Professor, a Distinguished University Professor, and Director of the Center for Automation Research at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland
, where he also held affiliate professorships in the Departments of Computer Science
, Electrical Engineering
, and Psychology
. He held a Ph.D. in mathematics
from Columbia University
(1957), rabbinic ordination (1952) and a Doctor of Hebrew Literature
degree (1955) from Yeshiva University
, and honorary Doctor of Technology degrees from Linkoping University
, Sweden (1980) and Oulu University, Finland (1994), an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yeshiva University (2000), and an honorary degree from the Technion (posthumously in 2004). He was a Fellow
of the Association for Computing Machinery
(1994).
Professor Rosenfeld was widely regarded as a leading researcher in the world in the field of computer image analysis. Over a period of nearly 40 years he made many fundamental and pioneering contributions to nearly every area of that field. He wrote the first textbook in the field (1969); was founding editor of its first journal (1972); and was co-chairman of its first international conference (1987). He published over 30 books and over 600 book chapters and journal articles, and directed nearly 60 Ph.D. dissertations.
Professor Rosenfeld’s research on digital image analysis (specifically on digital geometry
and digital topology
, and on the accurate measurement of statistical features of digital images) in the 1960’s and 1970’s formed the foundation for a generation of industrial vision inspection systems that have found widespread applications from the automotive to the electronics industry.
Professor Rosenfeld was a ba'al koreh (Torah Reader
) at Young Israel Shomrai Emunah
of Greater Washington for many years until he moved to Baltimore
in 2001.
In honor of the memory of Professor Rosenfeld, ICCV gives the biennial Azriel Rosenfeld Award
to a living person in the recognition of an outstanding life-time contribution to the field of image
understanding or computer vision.
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
, where he also held affiliate professorships in the Departments of Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, and Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. He held a Ph.D. in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(1957), rabbinic ordination (1952) and a Doctor of Hebrew Literature
Hebrew literature
Hebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the Hebrew language. It is one of the primary forms of Jewish literature, though there have been cases of literature written in Hebrew by non-Jews...
degree (1955) from Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, and honorary Doctor of Technology degrees from Linkoping University
Linköping University
Linköping University is a state university in Linköping, Sweden. Linköping University was granted full university status in 1975 and is now one of Sweden's larger academic institutions. Education, research and PhD training are the mission of four faculties: Arts and Sciences, Educational...
, Sweden (1980) and Oulu University, Finland (1994), an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yeshiva University (2000), and an honorary degree from the Technion (posthumously in 2004). He was a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
(1994).
Professor Rosenfeld was widely regarded as a leading researcher in the world in the field of computer image analysis. Over a period of nearly 40 years he made many fundamental and pioneering contributions to nearly every area of that field. He wrote the first textbook in the field (1969); was founding editor of its first journal (1972); and was co-chairman of its first international conference (1987). He published over 30 books and over 600 book chapters and journal articles, and directed nearly 60 Ph.D. dissertations.
Professor Rosenfeld’s research on digital image analysis (specifically on digital geometry
Digital geometry
Digital geometry deals with discrete sets considered to be digitized models or images of objects of the 2D or 3D Euclidean space.Simply put, digitizing is replacing an object by a discrete set of its points...
and digital topology
Digital topology
Digital topology deals with properties and features of two-dimensional or three-dimensional digital imagesthat correspond to topological properties or topological features of objects....
, and on the accurate measurement of statistical features of digital images) in the 1960’s and 1970’s formed the foundation for a generation of industrial vision inspection systems that have found widespread applications from the automotive to the electronics industry.
Professor Rosenfeld was a ba'al koreh (Torah Reader
Torah reading
Torah reading is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll to...
) at Young Israel Shomrai Emunah
Young Israel Shomrai Emunah
Young Israel Shomrai Emunah or YISE is an Orthodox synagogue located in Kemp Mill, Montgomery County, Maryland. It was the first Orthodox synagogue established in Montgomery County it is presently one of the largest Orthodox synagogues in Maryland and is recognized as a key synagogue in the Silver...
of Greater Washington for many years until he moved to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in 2001.
In honor of the memory of Professor Rosenfeld, ICCV gives the biennial Azriel Rosenfeld Award
Azriel Rosenfeld Award
In Computer Vision, The Azriel Rosenfeld Award, or Azriel Rosenfeld Life Time Achievement Award was established at ICCV 2007 in Rio de Janeiro to honor outstanding researchers who are recognized as making significant contributions to the field of Computer Vision over longtime careers. This award is...
to a living person in the recognition of an outstanding life-time contribution to the field of image
understanding or computer vision.