Murray Eden (August 17, 1920 – August 9, 2020), was an American
physical chemist
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mech ...
and
academic. He was a professor in electrical engineering,
a lecturer, a visiting professor and adjunct professor at institutions including at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
and the
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
.
[
Eden was a pioneer in the field of ]biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...
and imaging. He was director of the trans-NIH Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...
and NIH's Physical Science Program.[
The ]National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
stated[ that ''Dr. Murray Eden elevated the NIH Biomedical Engineering and Physical Science Program.''
Eden was born in ]Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
on August 17, 1920 to Russian-Jewish immigrants. His father was president of the Hebrew Teachers Union, and later, Executive Secretary of the Jewish Education Committee in New York City.
Due to the depression, as well as pre-World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
anti-Semitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
, the family experienced economic difficulties during his childhood years.
He graduated at 14 from Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College (THHS) is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks a ...
in Manhattan in 1935, attended City College of New York, 1935–39, graduated in 1939. In 1940 he moved to Washington DC, as a chemistry major and in 1951 received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
.[
]
Career
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, ca. 1941, as civil service, alongside then student Dick Feynman and others, he worked in the Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
facility of the Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
assisting in producing uranium-235.
Between 1949 and 1953, Murray worked at National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...
.[
Between 1959 and 1979, while working in electrical engineering, he has split his ''groundbreaking body of work'' between ]MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
, Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
, the NIH
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
and the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
. He has made independent innovations in computerized tomography while working on pattern recognition
Pattern recognition is the automated recognition of patterns and regularities in data. It has applications in statistical data analysis, signal processing, image analysis, information retrieval, bioinformatics, data compression, computer graphics ...
, image processing, handwritten generation & analysis, between the early 1960s-1976.[
Murray was one four editors of Information and Control from 1961 until 1966 and sole editor-in-chief of the journal from 1967 until 1981.
Murray headed the ]NIH
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
's Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) was a center within the National Institutes of Health a United States government agency. NCRR provided funding to laboratory scientists and researchers for facilities and tools in the goal of curi ...
(BEIP) since 1979 and retired from BEIP in 1994. Since Eden's retirement, under merged leadership, the BEIP program has been facing significant challenges.[
Eden contributed to the ]World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
, and was a consultant on research and development for its Director-General.
Murray was also a lecturer, a visiting professor or adjunct professor at various institutions, including at: Harvard University, American University, Boston University Law School
Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an e ...
, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
as well as (in the 80s[ at) the Swiss ]École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
.[
Murray Eden was also consultant on the team that created the ]Universal Product Code
The Universal Product Code (UPC or UPC code) is a barcode symbology that is widely used worldwide for tracking trade items in stores.
UPC (technically refers to UPC-A) consists of 12 digits that are uniquely assigned to each trade item. Along wi ...
barcode.[ As Chairman of a committee of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he helped ''select a symbol that would endure the inevitable rush of technology that lay ahead.'']
He chose the font, and he came up with the idea to add numbers to the bottom, which is a failsafe system, in case the code reader is down.[
]
Views
Eden was an activist since early on, including being involved in peace activism.[
On Darwinism he regarded "evolution" as "highly implausible."
]
Awards
Eden received NIH
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
's Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) was a center within the National Institutes of Health a United States government agency. NCRR provided funding to laboratory scientists and researchers for facilities and tools in the goal of curi ...
(BEIP) ''Directors award'' in 1993.[
In 1983, he was awarded the ]WHO
Who or WHO may refer to:
* Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun
* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism
* World Health Organization
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...
Medical Society
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...
medal, for his work as consultant on research and development for its Director-General.[
]
Personal
In 1945 he married Sara Baker.[ Sara was a consultant and a political and community activist. She died on September 15, 1995, at the age of 73.]
Death
Eden died on August 9, 2020,[ in Tucson, AZ,][ leaving behind a brother, Dr. Alvin Eden; 5 children and 7 grandchildren.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eden, Murray
1920 births
2020 deaths
American physical chemists
20th-century American scientists
Scientists from Brooklyn
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Townsend Harris High School alumni
City College of New York alumni
University System of Maryland alumni
Manhattan Project people
National Institutes of Health people
Barcodes
American inventions
20th-century inventions