George Davida, professor emerit, electrical engineering & computer science, passed away in August. Davida, a pioneer in the field of cybersecurity, was on the faculty at the college from 1970 until his retirement in 2010.
The field of computer science essentially did not exist when Davida began his career. He served on several national committees that established the field and created accreditation standards for university programs.
Davida was among the first faculty members hired for the newly created UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science. He delved into unbreakable codes that can hide information, quickly becoming one of the foremost leaders in the field and creating UWM’s Center for Cryptography, Computer and Network Security.
His groundbreaking work in data encryption helped the college’s computer science program establish an international reputation, attracting students, including Satya Nadella, (MS ’90) who went on to become Chairman and CEO of Microsoft.
“He diligently fought for citizens’ rights to privacy and personal data encryption by raising public awareness of the importance of cryptography,” said Edward Beimborn, UWM professor emerit of civil & environmental engineering. “His win ushered in our everyday ability to use online banking, send private emails, phone calls, or messages, and other uses of electronic security and online applications.”
Davida was one of the first on campus to use the internet and also brought the Unix operating system to UWM to facilitate research in computer science.
“I remember his friendship for many years,” said K. Vairavan, professor emerit, electrical engineering & computer science. “I also value his major contributions to the development of our computer science program.”
Early years
Davida grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, during a difficult political and social time. At the age 17, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to come to the U.S. and attend the University of Iowa, where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees.
At Iowa, he worked for Professor James Van Allen during the time high energy belts surrounding the earth were investigated (the Van Allen radiation belts). Davida participated in NASA-related research projects with Allen.
His funeral is Friday, Aug. 29 at Saint Peter & Paul, 2490 N. Cramer St. near campus. Visitation is at 11 a.m. and the Catholic service begins at noon. The burial is at 2:30 p.m. at Resurrection Cemetery, 9400 W. Donges Bay Road, Mequon, Wis.