Stephen O. Rice

Stephen "Steve" Oswald Rice ( born November 29, 1907 in Shedd, Oregon, † November 18, 1986 in La Jolla, California ) was an American computer scientist and electrical engineer who was a pioneer in theoretical telecommunications.

Rice studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University (later followed by studies at Caltech and Columbia University ). From 1930 he worked for 40 years at Bell Laboratories. He became head of the Department of Communication Analysis Research 1968. In 1972 he retired and then researched at the University of California, San Diego in the Department of Electrical Engineering and computer science.

In 1957/58 he was a visiting professor at Harvard University. He made particular contributions to the theory of noise, frequency modulation, nonlinear systems and communication theory, electromagnetic theory (including scattering from rough surfaces, theory of waveguides ) and the underlying mathematical aspects (special functions, stochastic processes, etc.).

In 1983 he received the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal, 1965 Mervin J. Kelly Award from the IEEE. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering ( 1977) and a Fellow of the IEEE. In 1961 he was made an honorary Doctor of Oregon State University.

The Stephen O. Rice Prize for outstanding publications of the IEEE Communications Society is named in his honor.

Writings

• Mathematical analysis of random noise, Bell System Technical Journal, Vol 23, 1944, pp. 282-332, Volume 24, 1945, pp. 46-156