College Mourns Electrical Engineering Professor KR Rao
Electrical Engineering Professor Kamisetty R. “K.R.” Rao, one of the College’s longest-serving faculty members, passed away January 15 in Arlington after a short illness. He was 89.
Details on a memorial service have not yet been announced.
“On behalf of the College of Engineering, I extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Rao’s family and friends,” said Peter Crouch, dean of the College of Engineering.
“Dr. Rao made his mark on the Electrical Engineering Department and the College of Engineering through his relationships with his colleagues and countless students to study under his tutelage. He was also a groundbreaking researcher whose influence on the field of digital signal processing and image processing has endured for decades. He was a fixture at College events and will be well-remembered by those who knew him best.”
Rao joined UTA in 1966. He was world-renowned for his research in mathematical computer techniques and was honored as a Fellow of IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, in 2000.
In 1974, Rao was credited with co-inventing Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) that is the heart of digital signal processing and communications. Over his 54-year tenure at UTA, he wrote dozens of research papers and authored or coauthored multiple books in the field of digital signal processing and image processing. He also conducted multiple workshops and seminars in addition to visiting professorships at universities all over the world. He was also an inspiration to his students, having served as a mentor to 116 master’s and 33 doctoral students during his tenure.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Madras, a Master of Science in electrical engineering and a Master of Science in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida, and a Doctor of Philosophy in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico.
Rao’s work made possible some of the technical advances that we use daily in our electronic devices, according to Professor of Electrical Engineering and Associate Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering Jonathan Bredow.
“The gist of his research work was mathematical computer techniques (coding) to reduce the amount of computer memory needed to store sound, video, and images,” Bredow said. “For example, we take for granted routinely watching videos from the internet on our smart devices. This wouldn’t be possible without coding that also reduces the amount of cellular bandwidth needed to transmit these videos. So, his work was of major impact.”
Professor of Electrical Engineering, IEEE Fellow, and Texas Instruments Distinguished University Chair in Nanoelectronics Robert Magnusson praised Rao’s legacy.
“Professor Rao was a humble gentleman but was a powerhouse in the fields of digital signal processing and image processing – pillars of modern technology that we enjoy every day. Very few academics have produced such impactful works,” Magnusson said.
Associate Professor Emeritus and Graduate Advisor of Electrical Engineering William E. Dillon, P.E. (Ret.) remembered Rao on a more personal note.
“He was one of the first to reach out to make me feel welcome in the department. UTA gained much recognition from his research and publication accomplishments. Losing this fine scholar and friend is difficult for us,” Dillon said.
In 2013, Rao established the Dr. K.R. Rao Electrical Engineering Graduate Fellowship endowment at UTA to be used by the Department of Electrical Engineering to award scholarships to electrical engineering graduate students with an F1 Visa status.
Donations may be made in his memory online. Under “Designation” select “View all giving opportunities”, then select “Dr. K.R. Rao Electrical Engineering Graduate Fellowship” and “Continue” and complete rest of form as instructed.
To make a gift by check, please send a check payable to UT Arlington with “Dr. Rao Fellowship” in the memo line to:
J. G. McLaughlin
Box 19198
701 S. Nedderman Dr.
Arlington, TX 76019