Neil Siegel
Neil Siegel | |
|---|---|
 Neil Siegel | |
| Born | February 19, 1954 |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Known for | Blue-Force Tracking FBCB2 Hunter UAV multicast communications protocols low-data-rate networking protocols Tactical Operations Centers Command and Control Centers |
| Spouse | Robyn Friend |
| Relatives | Jack Black (half-brother) |
| Awards | US National Academy of Engineering (2005) IEEE Simon Ramo Medal (2011) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineering, systems engineering, computer science |
| Institutions | TRW Northrop Grumman |
| Doctoral advisor | Barry Boehm |
Neil Gilbert Siegel (born February 19, 1954) is an American computer scientist, systems engineer, and engineer, known for his development of many key systems for the United States military, including the Blue-Force Tracking system, the U.S. Army's first unmanned air vehicle system, and the US Army forward-area air defense system.[1] Several of his inventions also found their way into consumer products, such as hand-held devices (e.g., mobile GPS devices, smartphones, etc.) whose map displays automatically orient themselves to align with the real-world's cardinal points.
Early life and work
Siegel was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Bernard Siegel and Judith Love Cohen, and has lived most of his life in the area southwest of Los Angeles.[2] He has two siblings, Howard and Rachel, and is an older half-brother of actor Jack Black.[3] He attended the University of Southern California, earning degrees in Mathematics. During and after this time, he worked as a professional musician, mostly performing folk and classical music from the Balkans and the Middle East. Later, he earned a PhD in systems engineering (also from USC), where his PhD advisor was noted computer scientist Barry Boehm.
In 1976, he began work at what was then TRW (acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2002).
Career
Starting in 1993, he led an organization at TRW that developed one-of-a-kind automation systems for the US military and (to a lesser extent) commercial companies. This organization achieved significant business success, growing rapidly every year during his tenure as leader (which continued until 2001). They created many new products whose general theme was automation support to decision-makers who operate in complex and stressful environments. In addition to the US Army and the US Air Force, customers during this time included the US steel industry and the movie industry.[4]
In 1993, his team fielded the US Army's first fully automated command-and-control system, the Forward-Area Air Defense C2 System. This system is still in use today.
In 1995, his team won the contract to develop the US Army's first "digital battlefield" system, called Force-XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (generally known by the acronym FBCB2). This has resulted in a highly regarded capability for the US, now used by the Marine Corps, as well as the Army.
Also in 1995, his team delivered the US Army's first automated command post, which has been followed by a long series of related capabilities to the present time.
In 1997, he was given responsibility for "fixing" the Hunter UAV program, the US Army's first unmanned air vehicle. The program had suffered a series of crashes during testing, and was nominally "cancelled". During his tenure, the program became one of the US' most reliable unmanned air vehicles, and is still in service. The Hunter entered operational service in 1999 in the Balkans.
His personal science and engineering contributions have centered on how to implement large, mobile, ad hoc radio networks over relatively low data-rate carriers, focusing on what he calls "infrastructureless" networks[5] (e.g., no fixed infrastructure, such as cell-phone towers, repeaters, etc.) and techniques for achieving acceptable dynamics through what he calls "force-structure-aware" networks.[6] He has been a pioneer in large-scale deployments of GPS-enabled applications[7]][8] (like the Blue-Force Tracking system). He has also been active in the field of structuring large-scale software developments so as to match the skill distribution encountered in real-world teams.
Since mid-2001, he has been the chief technology officer of TRW's Systems (now Northrop Grumman Mission Systems). His work during this time has extended his earlier work in infrastructureless networks, force-structure-aware networks, and large-scale system engineering methodologies. He retired at the end of 2015.
As of 2016, Siegel became the IBM Professor of Engineering Management at USC,;[9] he is also an Adjunct Professor of Engineering at UCLA.[10]. Additionally, Siegel also teaches undergraduate engineering classes.
Awards and honors
Siegel has received a number of awards and honors, including:
- Election to the US National Academy of Engineering in 2005.[11]
- Selection as an IEEE Fellow (2011).[12]
- The IEEE Simon Ramo Medal (2011), for systems engineering and systems science.[13]
- Member, National Academy of Inventors, 2017.
- US Army Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, 1996
- iCMG award for system architecture[14]
- Northern Virginia Technology Council—CTO of the year award[15]
Consumer Electronics
Siegel has had a major impact on the design and capabilities of many types of mobile consumer electronics, including smart phones, GPS receivers, and so forth. He is the documented earliest creator of many important technologies that are widely used today in these devices, including:
- GPS-enabled mobile devices[16]
- Automatic orientation of a map display to match the geographic cardinal points[17]
- Optimizing unicast protocols (including TCP) for use on low-bandwidth, wireless networks[18]
- Performing many security administrative and control tasks remotely[19]
- Managing and administering a large network of wireless devices[20]
- Increasing battery life on GPS-enabled devices[21]
Personal life
Siegel is an experienced musician who plays the flute, târ,[22] ney,[23] and kaval[24] who has more than 1,000 concerts to his credit worldwide. He studied music with Iranian sufi master Morteza Varzi for more than 20 years.
He is married to Robyn Friend, a writer, dancer, and singer, with whom he has performed all over the world during the last 30 years.
References
- ^ https://neilsiegel.usc.edu/intellectual-property/systems-and-inventions/
- ^ Siegel, Neil (July 26, 2016). "In Memory of Judith Love Cohen: Mother, Wife, Friend, Author, Engineer". USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ https://neilsiegel.usc.edu/appreciations-and-photos/
- ^ https://neilsiegel.usc.edu/intellectual-property/systems-and-inventions/
- ^ US patent 6,701,375
- ^ US patent 6,212,559
- ^ US patent 7,256,731
- ^ US patent 5,672,840
- ^ http://neilsiegel.usc.edu
- ^ http://www.mae.ucla.edu/faculty/
- ^ "NAE Members Directory – Dr. Neil G. Siegel". US National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ "Fellow Class of 2011". IEEE. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ "IEEE Simon Ramo Medal Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ iCMG winners by category, 2011
- ^ Siegel wins CTO of the year award
- ^ FBCB2
- ^ U.S. Patent number 5,672,840
- ^ U.S. Patent number 6,701,375
- ^ U.S. Patent number 7,278,023
- ^ U.S. Patent number 6,212,559
- ^ U.S. Patent number 7,256,731
- ^ www.RobynFriend.com
- ^ www.neyzen.com
- ^ www.neilsiegel.usc.edu
