Nasir Ahmed was born in 1940 in India. He was raised by grandparents. His grandfather, an electrical engineer, was assigned to work in the U.S. earlier in his career, and this experience led Nasir to study in the U.S. He began his studies at the University of New Mexico in the early 1960s.
After graduation, Nasir went to work for Honeywell. While at Honeywell, he became involved with digital systems. He was intrigued with a particular mathematical technique and decided to advance his knowledge by continuing his education through graduate school. When he received his Ph.D., he began an academic career.
The internet had revolutionized communications, but the transmission of images and sounds was still a challenge. For Nasir, he continued his quest for the compression of digital signals. He felt that the mathematical approach he began to study at Honeywell would provide the answer.
He applied for a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to prove his concept. He was turned down because his approach was too simple. Nasir decided to continue his work without funding. While his approach proved to work, it got little attention at first.
In the late 1980s, a standard group called the Joint Photography Experts Group (JPEG) adopted Nasir’s approach for the transmission of photographs. In a few years, the web began to transmit photographs. Audio and video followed soon after.
Nasir’s approach opened the world, but he remained little known. He remains surprised by how his method for signal compression has changed society. His interests were primarily in mathematics.
When Nasir came to America, computing was primarily a field populated by White men. He was a pioneer for his nationality in the industry. He gave a great gift to society for his work. Currently, Asian-Americans are playing a prominent role in most of our most visible technology companies.
One has to wonder how the politicization of immigration will affect the continued domination of the U.S. in advanced technologies. Those who choose to make the United States their country of choice have made incalculable contributions to our economy. They have also opened up the world. Thankfully, world progress is not deterred by a wall.
* * *
“I’ve never thought about the impact my father had.”–Son of Nasir Ahmed