Samuel Jefferson Mason
Encyclopedia
Samuel Jefferson Mason was an American electronics
engineer
. Mason's invariant
and Mason's rule
are named after him.
He was born in New York City, but he grew up in a small town in New Jersey. It was so small, in fact, that it only had a population of 26. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Rutgers University
in 1942, and he joined the Antenna Group of MIT's Radiation Laboratory as a staff member after graduation. Mason went on to earn his S.M. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT in 1947 and 1952, respectively. After World War II, MIT's Radiation Laboratory was renamed the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics, and he became the associate director of the laboratory in 1967. Mason served on the faculty of MIT from 1949 until his death in 1974 – as an assistant professor in 1949, associate professor in 1954, and full professor in 1959. Mason unexpectedly died in 1974 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.
Mason's doctoral dissertation was on signal flow graphs and he is often credited with inventing them. Another one of his contributions to the field of control systems theory was a method to find the transfer function of a system, now known as Mason's rule
. Mason was an expert in optical scanning systems for printed materials. He was the leader of the Cognitive Information Processing Group of MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics, and he created systems that scanned printed materials and read them out loud for the blind. Similarly, he developed tactile devices powered by photocells that enabled the blind to sense light.
While at MIT, Mason was also responsible for revisions to the undergraduate curriculum in electrical engineering. He implemented innovations in the teaching of electric circuit theory by co-authoring a textbook on the subject, and he introduced digital signal analysis to undergraduates, which led to a textbook as well. Mason was also known to get students heavily involved in research, and he often had a six or more doctoral candidates under his care. His students remembered him as, "A gentle, compassionate man...[who] had a deep, abiding interest in young people." Similarly, one of his thesis advisees said, "I came to know, admire, and respect Professor Mason as a thinker, friend, personal adviser, and confidant." Mason also served his community as the chairman of the Faculty Committee on Student Environment, a member of the Faculty Committee on Education in the Face of Poverty and Segregation, and a leader of underprivileged youth in the Upward Bound
program.
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
. Mason's invariant
Mason's Invariant
In electronics, Mason's invariant, named after Samuel Jefferson Mason, is a measure of the quality of transistors."When trying to solve a seemingly difficult problem, Sam said to concentrate on the easier ones first; the rest, including the hardest ones, will follow," recalled Andrew Viterbi,...
and Mason's rule
Mason's rule
Mason's gain formula is a method for finding the transfer function of a linear signal-flow graph . The formula was derived by Samuel Jefferson Mason and is named after its discoverer...
are named after him.
He was born in New York City, but he grew up in a small town in New Jersey. It was so small, in fact, that it only had a population of 26. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1942, and he joined the Antenna Group of MIT's Radiation Laboratory as a staff member after graduation. Mason went on to earn his S.M. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT in 1947 and 1952, respectively. After World War II, MIT's Radiation Laboratory was renamed the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics, and he became the associate director of the laboratory in 1967. Mason served on the faculty of MIT from 1949 until his death in 1974 – as an assistant professor in 1949, associate professor in 1954, and full professor in 1959. Mason unexpectedly died in 1974 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.
Mason's doctoral dissertation was on signal flow graphs and he is often credited with inventing them. Another one of his contributions to the field of control systems theory was a method to find the transfer function of a system, now known as Mason's rule
Mason's rule
Mason's gain formula is a method for finding the transfer function of a linear signal-flow graph . The formula was derived by Samuel Jefferson Mason and is named after its discoverer...
. Mason was an expert in optical scanning systems for printed materials. He was the leader of the Cognitive Information Processing Group of MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics, and he created systems that scanned printed materials and read them out loud for the blind. Similarly, he developed tactile devices powered by photocells that enabled the blind to sense light.
While at MIT, Mason was also responsible for revisions to the undergraduate curriculum in electrical engineering. He implemented innovations in the teaching of electric circuit theory by co-authoring a textbook on the subject, and he introduced digital signal analysis to undergraduates, which led to a textbook as well. Mason was also known to get students heavily involved in research, and he often had a six or more doctoral candidates under his care. His students remembered him as, "A gentle, compassionate man...[who] had a deep, abiding interest in young people." Similarly, one of his thesis advisees said, "I came to know, admire, and respect Professor Mason as a thinker, friend, personal adviser, and confidant." Mason also served his community as the chairman of the Faculty Committee on Student Environment, a member of the Faculty Committee on Education in the Face of Poverty and Segregation, and a leader of underprivileged youth in the Upward Bound
Upward Bound
Upward Bound is a federally funded educational program within the United States. The program is one of a cluster of programs referred to as TRIO, all of which owe their existence to the federal Higher Education Act of 1965. Upward Bound programs are implemented and monitored by the United States...
program.