Jan A. Rajchman
Encyclopedia
Jan Aleksander Rajchman was an American electrical engineer and computer pioneer.
He received the Diploma of Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
in Zurich
in 1935, and became a Doctor of Science
in 1938.
Rajchman emigrated to America
in 1935. He joined RCA
Laboratory directed by Vladimir K. Zworykin in January 1936.
He was a prolific inventor with 107 US patents among others logic circuits for arithmetic
. He conceived the first read-only memory
, which was widely used in early computers. He conceived and developed the selectively addressable storage tube, the ill-fated Selectron tube
, and the core memory.
He was a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE), and a member of the National Academy of Engineering
. He is also a member of Sigma Xi
, the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM), the Physical Society, the New York Academy of Sciences
, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
and the Franklin Institute
. He received the 1960 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
and
the 1974 IEEE Edison Medal For a creative career in the development of electronic devices and for pioneering work in computer memory systems.
He received the Diploma of Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in 1935, and became a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
in 1938.
Rajchman emigrated to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1935. He joined RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
Laboratory directed by Vladimir K. Zworykin in January 1936.
He was a prolific inventor with 107 US patents among others logic circuits for arithmetic
Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
. He conceived the first read-only memory
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
, which was widely used in early computers. He conceived and developed the selectively addressable storage tube, the ill-fated Selectron tube
Selectron tube
The Selectron was an early form of digital computer memory developed by Jan A. Rajchman and his group at the Radio Corporation of America under the direction of Vladimir Zworykin, of television technology fame...
, and the core memory.
He was a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
(IEEE), and a member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
. He is also a member of Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, 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...
(ACM), the Physical Society, the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
and the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
. He received the 1960 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
The initially called Morris Liebmann Memorial Prize provided by the Institute of Radio Engineers , the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award was created in 1919 in honor of Colonel Morris N. Liebmann. It was initially given to awardees who had "made public during the recent past an important...
and
the 1974 IEEE Edison Medal For a creative career in the development of electronic devices and for pioneering work in computer memory systems.