Achim Sydow

Achim Sydow, 2022

Achim Sydow (born 1933) is a German mathematician and professor of applied systems analysis. He is one of the pioneers of analog computing technology and dealt with modeling and computer simulation for the analysis and optimization of complex systems (first in automation technology and later in environmental and climate research). He was strongly committed to international cooperation in the UNESCO project EOLSS (Encyclopedia of Live Support Systems), in the committees of ERCIM (European Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics) and IMACS (International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation).

Career

Achim Sydow was born on 20. Septembre 1933 in Berlin-Pankow. He attended elementary school and high school (1940-1952) in Berlin. After graduating from high school, he studied mathematics at the Humboldt University of Berlin (with Kurt Schröder, Hans Reichardt, and others) and physics as a minor (with Rudolf Ritschl and Friedrich Möglich, and others). In 1957 he graduated with the academic degree "Diplom-Mathematiker" (topic of the diploma thesis: "The Ritz approach and its application in aerodynamics").

Institute for Control Technique Berlin (Industry) (1957-1975)

After completing his studies, he began his work as a young mathematician at the Institute for Control Technique Berlin (IfR Berlin). His use of the universal model and analog computer (UNIMAR) in the electronics laboratory for the development - still in the development and test phase - was decisive for him.

He took over the use of the analog computer UNIMAR for the mathematical modeling and project planning of process engineering controls (as with the paper machine Heinsberg, the nuclear power reactor Rheinsberg, an interconnected grid system, etc.). In 1964, he summarized the methods of structural and behavioral simulation developed and the experience gained in the monograph "Programming Technology for Electronic Analog Computers" (later editions 1969, 1974). ^[2]

For further relevant book publications from this period, see Publications.

In 1968 he was awarded a Dr. rer. nat.( PhD) (topic of the dissertation: Investigations on the solvability of some classes of boundary value problems and variational tasks by means of iterative analog computers, reviewers: Rolf Reißig, Kurt Schröder). He founded and managed the institute's computer center and focused it on the design of process engineering regulations and the development tasks of electronic components of the URSAMAT automation system. At the same time he began lectures at the Humboldt University Berlin and at Chemnitz University of Technology (topics: computer simulation, system modeling). After obtaining the Fakultas Docenti in 1970, he was appointed honorary lecturer ( Honorary-Docent) for automation technology (modeling and simulation of industrial processes) in 1970 and appointed honorary professor of mathematical cybernetics and computing technology at Chemnitz University of Technology, Section Automation Technology in 1972. In the early years of control engineering, the IfR Berlin became a pool for the training of university teachers. Further  members of the institute were appointed as professors at universities (such as Gunter Schwarze, Hans Fuchs, Wolfgang Weller, Georg Brack, Werner Kriesel and others). The cooperation with Gunter Schwarze (HU Berlin) was continued after leaving the industry. ^[13]

Achim Sydow initiated in 1969 ( after the closure of the working group analog computers in the Research Council) the foundation of the Scientific Section (WS ) Modeling and Simulation at the Scientific Society for Measurement Technology and Automation (WGMA) of the Chamber of Technology (KdT), of which he was elected chairman. The WS Modelling and Simulation organized more than 15 annual scientific conferences (mostly at the University of Rostock) until 1990 and was a discussion platform for  development and use of simulation software with industry. [5]

Academy of Sciences Berlin (1975-1991)

After a change to the Academy of Sciences Berlin, Central Institute for Cybernetics and Information Processing (ZKI) at the invitation of the Department of "Mathematics and Computer Science" of the Academy in 1975, he was able to bring the field of systems analysis into the research there. He founded and headed the research area "Systems Analysis and Simulation" (computer simulation and optimization of dynamic systems, environmental systems, air pollutant propagation). In 1984 he habilitated with the topic "The aspect of decentralization in the multi-critical optimization of complex systems" at the Academy of Sciences. In 1985 he was appointed Professor of Applied Systems Analysis at the Academy. In the joint research direction "Applied Systems Analysis" of the basic research of the Academy and the universities, he worked in particular with Karl Reinisch (Technical University of Ilmenau). At the same time, he headed the working group "Applications of Cybernetics" in the Research Council, which he took over from Friedhardt Klix. Here he again worked together with the industry institute IfR Berlin.

In 1984 he initiated the monthly journal "Systems Analysis-Modelling-Simulation" (SAMS) at Akademie-Verlag Berlin, which was later taken over by the Taylor & Francis Group and edited by him until 2005. ^[7]

German National Research Center for Computer Science (GMD) (1992-2000)

In the course of reunification, in 1992 he followed an offer from the Research Institute for Computer Architecture and Software Technology ( FIRST) of the GMD of Wolfgang Gilois as part of the reprofiling of the institute. He moved to FIRST with some employees of the ZKI and the Karl Weierstrass Institute for Mathematics of the Academy (since 1992 Karl Weierstrass Institute   for Applied Analysis and Stochastic). There he established and headed the research area "Modelling and Simulation / Parallel Simulation" (mesoscale weather models, ozone models, traffic models, sustainability research). With the massively parallel supercomputer SUPRENUM (with 254 nodes, designed by Wolfgang Gilois), the institute used the fastest parallel computer in Germany at the time. Together with his team, he developed the software package DYMOS (Dynamic Models for Ozone Analysis) for the simulation of air transport and air chemistry, which was later also used on MANNA, a successor to SUPRENUM. [14]

The DYMOS software became a basic building block for national and international cooperation. It was mostly financed by projects of the Federal Ministry and the European Commission, the Senate of Berlin and the State Government of Potsdam. His cooperation with the Russian Academy (Alexander M. Prokhorov, Nobel Laureate, Moscow Institute of Physics) on the topic of "Air Pollution in Giga-Cities" (funded by the EU) earned him a nomination for the Max Planck Prize for International Research Cooperation from the GMD.

From 1992 to 2012 he regularly lectured at the TU Berlin on topics of modeling and simulation of complex environmental systems. During this time he also accepted invitations as a visiting professor from the universities of Hagen, Lyngby, Linz, Innsbruck, Las Palmas, and also spent a research stay in the USA. At the University of Linz, he was a regular visiting professor at the Institute of Systems Theory (in cooperation with Franz Pichler).

In his work of the years 1995-2010, the conception, collaboration and publication of the UNESCO project "Encyclopedia of Live Support Systems" (EOLSS), Volume "Environmental Systems", in which 42 state research institutions from all over the world finally participated, played a major role. [3]

The scientific contacts established since the early development of analog computing technology continued into the years of digital simulation and joint project work, the editorial formation of SAMS and work in international committees. In reminiscence of the early years, one of Wolfgang Giloi's first Telefunken analog computers (RAT 700) was still in his study (now in the Technik-Museum Berlin) in his last years at the institute. With Granino G. Korn (Tucson), one of the best-known actives in analog computing and digital simulation was his guest and author in the book series "Numerical Insight" edited by him at Taylor & Francis.[4]

Achim Sydow retired in 2000, but remained active at the institute until 2015 as a consultant and at the TU Berlin until 2012 with lectures.

Volunteer for environment and climate protection (1997-)

In the regional area of life on the outskirts of Berlin in Petershagen-Eggersdorf, he works with the Local Agenda (a UNESCO initiative) on a voluntary basis on local climate projects (award of the Local Agenda with the Federal Prize for Sustainability 2019 on the occasion of a project work with the landscape ecologist Angela Schlutow). ^[15]

Work/Cooperation/Projects

Analog computers in the sixties and later the simulation by means of digital computers became important tools of applied system analysis. Achim Sydow was one of its developers and users in automation technology and environmental and climate research and one of its publicists.

• The modular simulation tool DYMOS (Dynamic Models for Smog Analysis) for mesoscale ozone prediction was the basis for cooperation and applications in Berlin (Berlin Senate, Environment Agency), in the federal state of Brandenburg (state government, Ministry of the Environment), in European cities (EU projects), Santiago de Chile (Catholic University Santiago de Chile, government agreement), with the Russian Academy (EU project with the Institute of Physics, Alexander M. Prokhorov, Nobel Laureate) and with Greenpeace for an ozone analysis in the Munich area. ^[10]
• The UNESCO project EOLSS, Volume "Environmental Systems" was conceived and published by him in the period 1995-2010. Leading experts from 42 countries worked as specialist authors (see biography). Ganti Prasada Rao (Member OF THE UNESCO-EOLSS Joint Committee, author of EOLSS) visited him at the Institute in 2003, 2004 and 2007. Due to the inclusion of further contributions from ERCIM in the following period, the volume "Environmental Systems" was supplemented by two further volumes. ^[3]
• ERCIM (European Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics) formed a Working Group (WG) Environmental Modelling in 1993, headed by Achim Sydow. Annual work shops and joint projects dealt with information technology in environmental protection (especially with models and the use of DYMOS). The WG Environmental Modelling was awarded by ERCIM at the annual conferences in Vienna and Amsterdam for its European project work.
• At a meeting of the board of IMACS (International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation) in Atlanta in 1995, Achim Sydow was elected General Chairman of the 15th IMACS World Congress in Berlin and Vice President of IMACS. The congress took place in 1997 with the participation of almost 1000 scientists from 92 countries. Responsible for organization was Ralf-Peter Schäfer, then employee and later head of development at Tomtom Europe. ^[10]

• Computer Science Seminars at Schloss Dagstuhl (Leibniz Center for Computer Science): Achim Sydow initiated and led a seminar on modeling and simulation of complex environmental problems at Schloss Dagstuhl in 1995, in which Pesi Rustom Masani (University of Pittsburgh), one of the last collaborators of Norbert Wiener and his biographer, also participated. Another seminar organized together with Armin Grunewald (Institute for Technology Impact Assessments and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of the Helmholtz Society (HGF), Karlsruhe) concerned an HGF joint project for the analysis of sustainability development in Germany, which he co-initiated and in which he was involved with his research team of FIRST Berlin. ^[6]

• In addition to the cooperation in Europe, he worked together with the US simulation company SCS "The Society for Computer Simulation International" (as organizer and chairman of the Mission Earth Conference "Modelling and Simulation of The Earth System" in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix in the years 1993-1997). ^[9]

• The book series "Numerical Insight" was initated and edited by him in 1994, and published by the Taylor & Francis Group. It started with manuscripts by G. A. Korn, "Numerical Insight into Dynamic Systems", A. A. Samarski and A.P. Mikhailov, "Principles of Mathematical Modeling", and P. Melin and O. Castillo, "Modelling, Simulation and Control of non-linear Dynamical Systems-an intelligent Approach... ". ^[4,5]
• The journal Systems Analysis -Modelling-Simulation (SAMS) was initiated by him in 1984, published by Akademie-Verlag Berlin and later by the Taylor & Francis Group. Articles from mathematical, technical and non-technical research areas were published annually in 12 issues, a sign of the growing interest in systems analytical work in the years around the turn of the century. ^[7]
• With Greenpeace (Karsten Smid, German Greenpeace Department for Air), scenario calculations for ozone pollution in the Munich area were carried out using DYMOS in 1994. The results attracted public attention (joint exhibition at the Berlin Radio Tower, press conferences by Greenpeace with the Süddeutsche Zeitung and lecture to the NRW Prime Minister and the CSU parliamentary group at Schloss Dagstuhl /Sankt Augustin (headquarters of the GMD), etc.). ^[10]

Committees, Volunteering

• Founding member and chairman (1972-1990) of the Scientific  Section Modelling and Simulation (WS Modelling and Simulation) in the Scientific Society for Measurements and Automation of the Chamber of Technology (WGMA). The WS organized annual conferences at the University of Rostock.
• Member of the Board of Directors of IMACS (Board of Directors of International Organisation for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation) (1992-2001), Vice President 1994 and General Chairman of the 15th World Conference Berlin 1997.
• Member of National Member Organisation of International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Laxenburg (1994 - 20004) and Board Member (elected on the proposal of the outgoing Board  Hans Joachim Schellnhuber 2000).
• Member of the Advisory Board of the International Institute for General Systems Studies, USA/ Pennsylvania (1994-). Here he supported the preparation and implementation of conferences in Pennsylvania, Texas and Wuhan (China) and took over lectures on environmental simulation. ^[8]
• Consulting Editor of the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (1995-2010) ^[3]
• Member of the Scientific Steering Committee of INTAS (International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union) for the cooperation with researchers in Eastern Europe (Brussels), 1997-2002
• Vice-President of the International Modelling and Software Society and Medalist, Australia (1996-2000)
• Member of the Steering Committee for Climate Research of the Helmholtz Society (HGF) as representative of the GMD Board (1996-2000)
• Retired volunteer (1997-): Founding member and chairman of the Local Agenda in Petershagen-Eggersdorf near Berlin (UNESCO initiative) ^[15]

Publications (selection)

Achim Sydow has published several monographs and more than 150 articles (author or co-author). He participated as an editor (partly with colleagues) in various book publications, collective publications, proceedings: ^{[4,5,6,9,10,11]}

• Author: Programmierungstechnik für elektronische Analogrechner. Verlag Technik Berlin 1964 (later revised editions 1969 und 1974)
• Author: Elektronische Analogrechner und Modellregelkreise. Reihe Automatisierungstechnik, Band 6. Verlag Technik Berlin 1962. (Spätere überarbeitete Auflagen: Elektronische Analogrechner. 1966, Elektronisches Analogrechnen. 1971)
• Author: Elektronisches Hybridrechnen. Reihe Automatisierungstechnik Band 113. Verlag Technik Berlin 1971
• Author: Numerische Analysis des Hybridrechnens. Reihe Theoretische Grundlagen der technischen Kybernetik. Verlag Technik Berlin 1970 und Verlag Dokumentation München-Pullach und Berlin 1970
• Author: Informatik und Umwelt in „Informatik-Grundlagen, Anwendungen, Perspektiven, Perspektiven“. Hrsg. Reinhard Wilhelm. Beck‘sche Reihe München 1996

• Editor, Co-Author: UNSCO EOLSS. Volume Environmental Systems. 1998, in 3 volumes. London 2009
• Author: Environmental Systems, Survey (42 Pages) in UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS). Volume Environmental Systems. 1998
• Achim Sydow, Matthias Schmidt, Thomas Lux, Ralf-Peter Schäfer, Peter Mieth: Simulation of air pollutant dispersion on parallel hardware. Simul. Pr. Theory 1(2): 57-64 (1993)
• Author: Environmental Modelling and Simulation Research, ERCIM News No.34 - July 1998
• Editor, Co-Author: Wörterbuch Kybernetik (deutsch, englisch, französisch, russisch). Verlag Technik Berlin 1970. Mehrere Auflagen und ausländische Lizenzausgaben
• Editor: 15th IMACS World Congress on Scientific Computation, Modelling and Applied Mathematics. Berlin AUGUST 1997, Proceedings, 5 Volumes, published by Wissenschaft und Technik Berlin 1997
• Editor with  Arnim Grunwald and others, Co-Autor: Forschungswerkstatt Nachhaltigkeit: Wege zur Diagnose und Therapie von Nachhaltigkeitsdefiziten. Ed. Sigma Berlin 2001
• Editor mit Spyros. G. Tsafestas, Robert Vichnevetsky: Advances in Simulation: Systems Analysis and Simulation (Theory and Foundations) 1 und 2, Springer Verlag New York 1989 und Akademie Verlag Berlin 1989
• Editor with Jin -Yi Yu and Co-Author: Conference on Mission Earth 1998, San Diego: Modelling and Simulation of the Earth System, SCS (Society for Computer Simulation International), Proceedings
• Guest Editor and Co- Author: Modelling and Simulation of Air pollution in Transaction of the SCS, Volume 15, Number 3, September 1998

References / Web links

==References==
{{reflist}}

1. ^Achim Sydow The Mathematics Genealogy Project
2. ^Wikipedia Analogrechner
3. ^EOLSS, Environmental Systems 1998 und 2009 (with biographical sketch)
4. ^DNB, Katalog der National Bibliothek
5. ^Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Simulation, NID 1014450683)
6. ^dplp. uni-trier.de, Computer Science Bibliography
7. ^Journal Systems Analysis-Modelling-Simulation (SAMS), Akademie-Verlag Berlin 1994-91,Gordon & Breach1991-95 and  Tylor& Francis Group 1995-2003)
8. ^IIGS (The International Institute for General Systems Studies, Pennsylvania, USA.)
9. ^SCS Proceedings of the Conference on Mission Earth: Modelling and Simulation of the Earth System, Mission Earth, San Diego 1998
10. ^GMD -Spiegel, Special Simulation Models: Systems Analysis and Parallel Simulation 1996
11. ^Informatik und Umwelt. In: Perspektiven der Informatik 1993, S.21-23
12. ^Programmierungstechnik für elektronische Analogrechner, Verlag Technik Berlin 1964,1969,1974
13. ^Gunter Schwarze
14. ^Supercomputer für den Umweltschutz. Prof. Wolfgang Giloi und Prof. Achim Sydow berichten über ihre Kooperation im Forschungsvorhaben „Dynamische Smog-Frühwarnsysteme“. In: Akademie der Wissenschaften Berlin/Spectrum 10/90
15. ^Bundespreis- Nachhaltigkeit 2019, Category:Professors of Applied Systems Analysis, Category:University teachers (Chemnitz University of Technology, Technical University of Berlin, University of Linz), Category:Cyberneticists, Category:German people, Category:1933 births

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