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A few observations: - Lots of reference to military applications - Nuclear reactors and shielding - FORTRAN! An interesting note about the applications
by jroseattle 14y ago
A few observations:
- Lots of reference to military applications
- Nuclear reactors and shielding
- FORTRAN!
An interesting note about the applications on the nuclear side: I worked in a semi-high security clearance environment on certain nuclear operations. One item we dealt with in particular was a very old algorithm implemented in FORTRAN. We were attempting to scale the system involved, and the implementation of the algorithm was a major bottleneck.
The algorithm was phenomenally complex (it's nuclear science, after all). And, we had a challenge in documentation that was impossible to clear up with the original algorithm implementors: most of the team involved had passed away more than a decade earlier.
It was one of the neatest programming challenges I've ever encountered. Those old-school engineers were cool, and I wish our industry could keep more of those people around to pass along what they learned and help teach our industry going forward. The technologies may change, but logic never goes out-of-date.
- Natsu 14y agoWhat I noticed is how many references there were to wanting mathematicians to learn to code. It's weird because it's a good idea and I don't see that in job ads any more.
- vinutheraj 14y agoI guess at 1959 there was no(not many?) computer science majors, and it might have been the norm for a mathematician to start programming, then.
- sakopov 14y agoPerhaps computer science wasn't widespread as formal area of study in universities at the time, so people were looking for the next best candidate, who is someone good at physics and math?
- hughw 14y agoLol "the next best candidate". C'mon. [edit to explain that gut reaction] Physics and math practitioners would be far better candidates than a general computer scientist, for the domains described in this ad, even today.
- dons 14y agoThe first comp sci degree in the US wasn't offered until 1962 (though cambridge com. lab had coined it in 1953)
- mseebach 14y agoYes you do. The branching out just happens already at university. The coding mathematicians are known as computer scientists.
- ams6110 14y agoAnecdotally, most computer scientists I know (excluding undergrads... I'm talking about PhDs, graduate and professional academic researchers etc.) don't write code and do a fairly poor job when they try.
- mseebach 14y agoSure, but certainly they had the same problems in 1959. My point was that CS is a branch of Mathematics.
- Natsu 14y agoYou might be surprised at how many of us didn't go into CS proper, but can still code. My degree was CMS and I still have to explain what it consists of all the time.
- mseebach 14y agoGiven how I'm in the field, I've met several, so, no, I'm not surprised. Just because mathematics then, and CS today, is the obvious path into the field, that doesn't make it the only one.
- Natsu 14y agoI didn't really mean you specifically, but a lot of the people I've met lately seem to think that way.