The Computer Simulation Oral History Archive, 2003-2018, includes video and audio interviews of computer simulation pioneers. The video oral histories of computer simulation pioneers were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and were conducted from 2013-2016. The purpose of this grant initiative was to capture and preserve ...
MoreThe Computer Simulation Oral History Archive, 2003-2018, includes video and audio interviews of computer simulation pioneers. The video oral histories of computer simulation pioneers were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and were conducted from 2013-2016. The purpose of this grant initiative was to capture and preserve accounts of seminal projects, related pivotal events, and distinguished project contributors from the perspectives of, and the words of, individuals who witnessed the relevant history of computer simulation firsthand. The importance of collecting these accounts is also based on the remarkable degree to which computer simulation has heavily influenced the design of computing software. The Computer Simulation Oral History Archive is a part of the Computer Simulation Archive, which was established in 1998 with substantial initial donations of papers and research materials by three pioneers in the field of computer simulation—Robert G. Sargent, Alan Pritsker, and Julian Reitman. The Computer Simulation Oral History Archive includes interviews conducted from 2003-2016, almost all of which were funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Computer simulation was established as a separate discipline of research and practice during the mid-1950s, with many seminal works in the field published from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. Reflecting the diverse backgrounds of the field’s pioneers, simulation encompasses theory, methodology, and practice arising at the interface of applied probability, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, industrial and systems engineering, management, manufacturing engineering, operations research, and statistics. The roots of the computer simulation field are revealed in the broad diversity of current application domains in which the development and use of large-scale computer simulation models are critical to the design, improvement, and operational control of computer and telecommunications networks, financial systems, healthcare delivery systems, transportation systems, and governmental and military systems. The field comprises discrete-event simulation, Monte Carlo methods, combined discrete-continuous simulation as well as hybrid analytic/simulation computer models. It is noteworthy that as the field has matured, it has contributed significantly to the evolution of allied disciplines—for example, object-oriented programming in computer science and innovative resampling schemes in statistics.
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