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Randy Pausch

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Randolph Frederick Pausch
Dr. Randy Pausch
Born (1960-10-23) October 23, 1960 (age 64)
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materBrown University, Carnegie Mellon University
Known forCreator of Alice software project
co-founder of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center
Virtual Reality Research with Disney Imagineers
Inspirational speeches regarding life
#1 best-selling book
Battle with cancer
AwardsKarl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award
ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education
Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education
Scientific career
FieldsComputer science
InstitutionsCarnegie Mellon University

Randy Pausch (born October 23, 1960) is a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In September 2006, Pausch was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. He pursued a very aggressive cancer treatment that included major surgery and experimental chemotherapy; however, in August 2007, he was told the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen, which meant it was terminal. He then started palliative chemotherapy, intended to extend his life as long as possible. At that time, doctors estimated he would remain healthy for another three to six months.

Professional accomplishments

Pausch received his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Brown University and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University. He has been a co-founder, along with Don Marinelli, of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) and he started the Building Virtual Worlds course at CMU and taught it for ten years. He has been a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator, and a Lilly Foundation Teaching Fellow. Pausch was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science from 1988 until 1997. He has done sabbaticals at Walt Disney Imagineering and Electronic Arts (EA), and consulted with Google on user interface design. Pausch is the author or co-author of five books and over 70 articles, and the founder of the Alice software project.

Pausch received two awards from ACM in 2007 for his achievements in computing education. These are the Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award and the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education.[1] He was also inducted as a Fellow of the ACM in 2007.

The Pittsburgh City Council declared November 19, 2007 to be "Dr. Randy Pausch Day."[2]

Cancer

Pausch's last lecture poster

Pausch has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer[3][4] and was told in August 2007 to expect a remaining three to six months of good health. He soon moved his family back down to Virginia.

On March 13, 2008, Pausch advocated for greater federal funding for pancreatic cancer before the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.[5] In the week prior to this, he had been hospitalized in order to have needle aspiration of pleural effusion in his right lung.

The "Last Lecture"

Pausch delivered his "Last Lecture," titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," at CMU on September 18, 2007.[6] This talk was modeled after an ongoing series of lectures where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk," i.e., "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?"

Before speaking, Pausch received a long standing ovation from a large crowd of over 400 colleagues and students. When he motioned them to sit down, saying, "Make me earn it," some in the audience shouted back, "You did!"

During the lecture, Pausch was upbeat and humorous, alternating between wisecracks, insights on computer science and engineering education, advice on building multi-disciplinary collaborations, working in groups and interacting with other people, offering inspirational life lessons, and performing push-ups on stage.

After Pausch finished his lecture, Steve Seabolt, on behalf of Electronic Arts, which is now collaborating with CMU in the development of Alice 3.0,[7] pledged to honor Pausch by creating a memorial scholarship for women in computer science,[3] in recognition of Pausch's support and mentoring of women in CS and engineering.

CMU president Jared Cohon spoke emotionally of Pausch's humanity and called his contributions to the university and to education "remarkable and stunning."[8] He then announced that CMU will celebrate Pausch's impact on the world by building and naming after Pausch a raised pedestrian bridge[9] to connect CMU's new Computer Science building and the Center for the Arts, symbolizing the way Pausch linked those two disciplines.

Finally, Brown University professor Andries van Dam followed Pausch's last lecture with a tearful and impassioned speech praising him for his courage and leadership, calling him a role model. [8]

Media coverage

File:Randy Sting Nov 6 2007.jpg
Randy Pausch and his wife Jai meeting with Sting at "The Police" concert at UVa on November 6, 2007

Pausch was named "Person of the Week" on ABC's World News with Charles Gibson on September 21.[10] His "Last Lecture" has attracted wide attention from the international media,[11] became an Internet hit, and was viewed over a million times in the first month after its delivery.[12] On October 22, 2007, Pausch appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he discussed his situation and recapped his "Last Lecture" for millions of TV viewers.[13]

On October 6, 2007, Pausch joined the Pittsburgh Steelers for the day during their regular practice, after the organization learned that one of his childhood dreams mentioned in his "Last Lecture" was to play in the NFL.[14]

The Disney-owned publisher Hyperion has paid $6.7 million for the rights to publish a book about Pausch called The Last Lecture, co-authored by Pausch and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Zaslow.[15]

A devoted Star Trek fan, Pausch was invited by film director J.J. Abrams to film a role in the latest Star Trek movie. Abrams heard of Pausch's condition and sent a personal e-mail inviting Pausch to the set. Pausch happily accepted and traveled to Los Angeles, California to shoot his scene. In addition to appearing in the film, he also has a line of dialogue. [16]

On April 9, 2008, the ABC network aired an hour long Diane Sawyer feature on Pausch entitled "The Last Lecture: A Love Story For Your Life."[17]

Other lectures and appearances

Pausch gave an updated version of his "Time Management" lecture on November 27, 2007 at the University of Virginia, to an audience of over 850 people.[18][19][20][21][22] In March of 2008 Pausch appeared in a public service announcement video and testified before Congress in support of cancer research.

Books

  • Learning to Program with Alice, Brief Edition (with Wanda P Dann and Stephen Cooper) (2006) ISBN 0132397757
  • The Last Lecture (2008) ISBN 1401323251

References

  1. ^ Virtual Reality Innovator Honored with Karlstrom Award by ACM, December 3, 2007, retrieved 2007-12-04 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Proclamation of Dr. Randy Pausch Day by Pittsburgh City Council". November 19, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-09. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b Roth, Mark (September 19, 2007), CMU professor gives his last lesson on life, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retrieved 2007-11-18 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Zaslow, Jeff (September 20, 2007), A Beloved Professor Delivers The Lecture of a Lifetime, The Wall Street Journal, retrieved 2007-11-18 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Dying Professor, Famous for His Last Lecture, Testifies Before Congress March 13, 2008
  6. ^ "University Lecture Series: Journey's". Carnegie Mellon. September 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Watzman, Anne (March 10, 2006). "Carnegie Mellon Collaborates With EA to Revolutionize Computer Science Education". Carnegie Mellon Today. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b Robins, Gabriel (September 20, 2007), Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, University of Virginia, retrieved 2007-11-18 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Heinrichs, Allison (September 19, 2007), Professor diagnosed with cancer offers his final words for the CMU community, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, retrieved 2007-11-18 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Dying Professor's Lecture of a Lifetime". ABC News. September 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Schmitz, Gregor (October 1, 2007), Ein todkranker Professor rührt Amerika, Spiegel Online, retrieved 2007-11-18 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Zaslow, Jeff (September 27, 2007), The Professor's Manifesto: What It Meant to Readers, The Wall Street Journal, retrieved 2007-11-18 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Dr. Oz: A Special Report on Death". The Oprah Winfrey Show. October 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Heinrichs, Allison (October 4, 2007), Dying prof tackles final dream -- the NFL, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, retrieved 2007-11-18 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Flamm, Matthew (November 20, 2007), Hyperion wins auction for The Last Lecture, Crain's New York Business, retrieved 2007-11-20 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Pascale, Anthony (January 19, 2008), Inspirational Professor Given Part In Star Trek, TrekMovie.com, retrieved 2008-01-19 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ ABC News Special: The Last Lecture: A Love Story for Your Life, April 9, 2008, retrieved 2008-04-10 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Randy Pausch: Time is All That Matters". UVa Today. November 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Lecture of a Lifetime: U.Va.'s School of Engineering and Applied Science Hosts Talk by Randy Pausch". UVA Today. November 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Professor with terminal cancer: There's less time than you think". Daily Progress. November 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Prognosis Prompts Professor's Tour". NBC 29 WVIR-TV. November 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Former UVa Prof Giving His Last Lectures". 19 News WCAV.tv. November 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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