Harry Leslie Van Trees (June 27, 1930 – December 29, 2022) was an American scientist specializing in

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

and

signal processing Signal processing is an electrical engineering subfield that focuses on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing ''signals'', such as audio signal processing, sound, image processing, images, Scalar potential, potential fields, Seismic tomograph ...

Academic career

Harry Leslie Van TreesHarry Leslie Van Trees
was elected in 2015 as a member of

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

in Electronics, Communication & Information Systems Engineering for contributions to

detection {{Unreferenced, date=March 2018 In general, detection is the action of accessing information without specific cooperation from with the sender. In the history of radio communications, the term "detector" was first used for a device that detected ...

estimation Estimation (or estimating) is the process of finding an estimate or approximation, which is a value that is usable for some purpose even if input data may be incomplete, uncertain, or unstable. The value is nonetheless usable because it is d ...

, and

modulation Signal modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a periodic waveform in electronics and telecommunication for the purpose of transmitting information. The process encodes information in form of the modulation or message ...

theory and leadership of defense

communication systems A communications system is a collection of individual telecommunications networks systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole. Commun ...

. was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

on June 27, 1930. He attended

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, where he graduated first in his class in 1952. "National Academy of Engineering Member Elections." United States Military Academy West Point. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. http://www.usma.edu/eecs/SitePages/Home.aspx After Van Trees served in the Army, he received a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

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, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

. He then attended the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) and received his Sc.D. After graduating, Van Trees joined the MIT faculty as a part of the Electrical Engineering Department.

Professional contributions

While working at

(MIT) during 1968-1971, Van Trees published a three-volume series of textbooks on the detection, estimation, and modulation theory. Van Trees' theory provided a "unified approach to communications, radar, and sonar.""Harry L. Van Trees." - Engineering and Technology History Wiki. N.p., 8 Apr. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. http://ethw.org/Harry_L._Van_Trees In addition to academic work, Van Trees has also assisted with the implementation of theory into practice in several

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

positions. Van Trees was initially on loan to the government by MIT, he then ended up staying for a number of projects. Van Trees was the

Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force The Chief Scientist of the Air Force is the most senior science and technology representative in the United States Department of the Air Force The United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) is one of the three military departments withi ...

. He also served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (C3I). Additionally, Van Trees was the

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks & Information Integration (ASD(NII)) was an appointed position that provided management and oversight of all DoD information technology, including national security systems. The ASD(NII) also served as ...

; Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I).McDonald, Michele. "Van Trees Elected to National Academy of Engineering." George Mason University News. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, 12 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. https://ece.gmu.edu/news/van-trees-elected-national-academy-engineering-0 From 1982-1988, Van Trees ran the Eastern Operations of M/A-Com Linkabit, a company founded by Irwin M. Jacobs and

Andrew Viterbi Andrew James Viterbi (born Andrea Giacomo Viterbi, March 9, 1935) is an electrical engineer and businessman who co-founded Qualcomm Inc. and invented the Viterbi algorithm. He is the Presidential Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering at th ...

. The M/A-Com division was sold to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in 1988. In 1987, Van Trees joined George Mason University (GMU) as a Distinguished Professor of Information Technology, and Electrical and Systems Engineering. Van Trees was also the founding director of Mason's Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I). In 2002, Van Trees published the fourth volume of his textbook titled ''Optimum Array Processing''. This textbook provided a more comprehensive look at optimum array processing. In 2013, Van Trees worked with Dr. Kristine L. Bell and Dr. Zhi Tian, both of GMU, to publish a second edition of the first volume."Dr Harry Van Trees Publishes New Textbook." Center of Excellence in Command Control Communications Computing and Intelligence. George Mason University, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. http://c4i.gmu.edu/2013/08/dr-harry-van-trees-publishes-new-textbook/ This version was revised and expanded. Van Trees was also the creator of the family of Bayesian bounds. The first bound was published in 1964; and in 2007, Van Trees collaborated with Bell to publish ''Bayesian Bounds for Parameter Estimation and Nonlinear Filter/Tracking''. Van Trees also worked with two colleagues from M/A-Com and founded CommQuest Technologies Inc. CommQuest was a "developer and supplier of advanced semiconductors for wireless comms." CommQuest was purchased by

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

in 1999. Van Trees and his wife established the Harry and Diane Van Trees Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Endowment at West Point.

Personal life and death

Van Trees was married to Diane Enright on April 25, 1953. They had seven children, 19 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. He died in

Ruckersville, Virginia Ruckersville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greene County, Virginia, United States, located in a rural area north of Charlottesville. The population as of the 2020 estimate was 1,321, a 17.7% increase from the 2010 census with 1,141. Th ...

on December 29, 2022, at the age of 92.

Awards

In 2015, Harry Van Trees was awarded the

IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal The IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal is presented "for outstanding achievements in signal processing" theory, technology or commerce. The recipients of this award will receive a gold medal, together with a replica in bronze, a certifica ...

. The award is presented for outstanding achievement in signal processing theory, technology, or commerce."IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal Recipients." IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal Recipients. IEEE, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015

/ref> Van Trees was inducted into the

in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Trees, Harry L. 1930 births 2022 deaths MIT School of Engineering alumni People associated with radar Sonar United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni University of Maryland, College Park alumni MIT School of Engineering faculty American textbook writers United States Department of Defense officials United States Air Force civilians George Mason University faculty Scientists from Kansas City, Missouri