A. Michael Noll

A. Michael Noll was born in 1939 in Newark, New Jersey. He earned a B.S.E.E. from Newark College of Engineering, an M.E.E. from New York University, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, where his dissertation focused on man-machine tactile communication. He spent nearly fifteen years at Bell Labs conducting pioneering research in digital computer graphics, animation, speech processing, and tactile human-machine communication, progressing from technical researcher to department head. In the early 1970s, Noll served on the staff of the President’s Science Advisor at the White House, focusing on science and technology policy related to computer security, privacy, and educational technology. He also worked as a district manager at AT&T, identifying opportunities for new telecommunication products and services. Noll held teaching appointments at Columbia University’s Business School, New York Law School, and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he taught in the Interactive Telecommunications Program. At the University of Southern California, he began as an adjunct professor before becoming dean of the Annenberg School for Communication from 1992 to 1994. During his tenure, he played a key role in unifying communication studies across academic departments. He remained at USC as a Research Professor and later Professor Emeritus, continuing to write and publish on media, technology, and communication policy.

Noll is widely recognized as one of the earliest pioneers of digital computer art. In the summer of 1962 at Bell Labs, he programmed digital computers to create artistic patterns, formalizing the use of random and algorithmic processes in visual art. His early experiments used the Stromberg-Carlson SC-4020 microfilm recorder to produce some of the first stereoscopic computer-generated images and animations, investigating how computers could simulate depth and motion. Noll collaborated with vision scientist Bela Julesz on random-dot stereograms, blending scientific visualization with perceptual exploration and interactive art. His work showed the computer as a tool for calculation and as a creative partner in artistic production. One of his most significant projects was an experiment comparing a computer-generated pattern with a painting by Piet Mondrian, which anticipated the concept of a Turing Test for aesthetics, challenging viewers to distinguish between human-made and machine-made art. Beyond static images, Noll advanced three-dimensional computer graphics, animation, and interactive devices, including the creation of a tactile man-machine communication system that foreshadowed modern virtual reality interfaces. His work demonstrated how technology could expand artistic possibilities and opened new dialogues between computation and creativity, influencing many artists and researchers who followed.

Noll’s pioneering digital artworks and animations have been widely exhibited across the globe, including the 1965 Computer-Generated Pictures at the Howard Wise Gallery in New York City and the 1968 Cybernetic Serendipity at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. His computer animations are preserved in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles. Prints of his work are held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Pompidou Modern Art Museum, the Victoria & Albert in London, and the New York University Dibner Library. His contributions have been recognized with awards such as the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer Honorable Mention in 1970 and the New Jersey Institute of Technology Distinguished Alumni Medal in 1994.