Stephen Benton
| Stephen A. Benton | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 1, 1941 San Francisco, CA, United States |
| Died | November 9, 2003 (aged 61) |
| Residence | Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields |
Holography Physics |
| Institutions |
Polaroid Corporation Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Influences |
Harold Edgerton Edwin H. Land |
Stephen Anthony Benton (1941–2003) was the E. Rudge ('48) and Nancy Allen Professor of Media & Sciences, and the Director for Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was the inventor of the rainbow hologram (Benton hologram) and a pioneer in medical imaging and fine arts holography. Benton held 14 patents in optical physics and photography, and taught media arts and sciences at MIT.
Benton was born in San Francisco in 1941 and grew up in Santa Barbara, California. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1959. Benton first became interested in optics at 11 when he wore a pair of 3-D glasses to view the Vincent Price movie House of Wax. He recalled, ''There was a realism and a sense of excitement like nothing I had ever felt before. Not only was I amazed, I determined then and there to figure out how it worked''. Benton received his undergraduate degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in electrical engineering (1963) and worked with Professor Harold "Doc" Edgerton, a pioneer in stroboscopy. During his undergraduate career, Benton also worked with Edwin H. Land, the co-founder of Polaroid Corp. and inventor of instant photography, in the company's vision research laboratory.
Benton received his M.S. in 1964 and his Ph.D. in 1968 in applied physics at Harvard University.
Benton remained at Harvard University as an assistant professor of applied optics until 1973. From 1980 to 1983, Benton returned to MIT as a visiting scientist in the Laser Research Center. While at MIT, he helped form the Spatial Imaging Research Group in 1982. In 1984, Benton joined the MIT faculty as a founding member of the MIT Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology devoted to projects at the convergence of technology, multimedia, sciences, art and design. There, he made a lasting impression on his colleagues. "Steve brought a joy and spirit of inventiveness to all that he did," Charles M. Vest, MIT's president, said in a statement. "He was a gifted teacher, scientist, engineer, and artist who personified the best of MIT." Dr. Benton was the founding head of the MIT Program in Media Arts & Sciences from 1987 to 1994 and became the director for the Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) in 1996. He remained the director of CAVS until his death in 2003.
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