On the Origins of DSP

Lecture Announcement

	Organizer: IEEE Signal Processing Society Distinguished Lecturer University of Toronto Electrical and Computer Engineering Distinguished Lecture
	Title: On the Origins of DSP
	Speaker: Professor Andreas Antoniou, University of Victoria

Abstract:
We tend to think of digital signal processing as one of the recent high technologies that have emerged as a consequence of Moore s law but its roots go back to the 16th century and beyond. The two most fundamental processes in DSP, namely, sampling and interpolation, go back to Gregory (1638-1675), Newton (1642-1727), and Stirling (1692-1770), even to the great Archimedes of Syracuse (287- 212 B.C.). As will be demonstrated by the lecture, when Archimedes derived a practical value for PI he actually used sampling and interpolation. Interpolation is, in effect, a filtering process since it involves fitting a smooth curve through a number of data points, and by using Stirling's interpolation formula, quite unexpectedly, a good quality low-pass filter can be designed. The lecture will also show that, contrary to popular belief, Babbage (1791-1871) did not invent computers. What he was actually trying to construct was a discrete-time system that could perform interpolation. Thus if Babbage was successful with his difference engine, and programmed it to perform interpolation based on Stirling's formula, he would have constructed the first digital filter, alas in mechanical form.

The lecture will trace the origins and evolution of the underlying mathematical principles of DSP starting with Archimedes and ending with the prophetic statement of Moore about the number of transistors that can be manufactured on a single VLSI chip.

Biography:
Andreas Antoniou received the B.Sc. (Eng. Hons.) and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of London in 1963 and 1966, respectively. From 1966 to 1969 he was Senior Scientific Officer at the Post Office Research Department, London, and from 1969 to 1970, he was a member of the Scientific Staff at the R & D Laboratories of Northern Electric Company Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. From 1970 to 1983 he served in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as Professor from June 1973 and as Chair from December 1977. He served as founding Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from July 1, 1983 to June 30, 1990 and is now Professor at the same department. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of electronics, network synthesis, digital system design, active and digital filters, and digital signal processing. He published extensively in these areas. One of his papers on gyrator circuits was awarded the Ambrose Fleming Premium by the Institution of Electrical Engineers, UK. He is the author of "Digital Filters: Analysis, Design, and Applications" published by McGraw-Hill Book Co. and the co-author with W.-S. Lu of "Two-Dimensional Digital Filters" published by Marcel Dekker. Dr. Antoniou is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C., and Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He was elected Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for contributions to active and digital filters, and to electrical engineering education. He served as Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems from June 1983 to May 1985 and as Editor from June 1985 to May 1987, and was a member of the Board of Governors of the Circuits and Systems Society during 1995 to 1997. He was awarded a CAS Golden Jubilee Medal by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society in recognition of outstanding achievements in the area of circuits and systems and the B.C. Science Council Chair-man s Award for Career Achievement for 2000. He was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa degree by the Metsovio Technical University of Greece in 2002 and was recently appointed as a Distinguished Lecturer for 2003 by the IEEE Signal Processing Society.

Time and Location:
Monday, April 14, 2003, 11-12 am.
Sanford Fleming Building, Room SF1105

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