Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. Memorial
Friends,
It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of our department founder and beloved faculty member, Dr. Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. As a colleague, mentor, and friend to so many, we know that he will be greatly missed by this community.
From the moment he founded the department in 1964, Dr. Brooks demonstrated his steadfast commitment to serving the world, and others, through science. His foundational work in our field cemented the notion that computer science is a means to great ends–to build tools, to work in collaboration, and to strengthen our scientific understanding of the world. His impact on our department and his commitment to the University were truly admirable.
While many have similar ambitions to impact the world, only Dr. Brooks could achieve it with such humility, grace, and kindness. As a winner of the Turing Award – widely considered to be the Nobel Prize in Computer Science – his legacy of collaboration and achievements in computer science will continue on as our students have the privilege to learn in the department that he founded and the field that he influenced.
He will be deeply missed. I invite you to read the department’s statement on Dr. Brooks’ impact and a well-lived life here.
Best regards,
Samarjit Chakraborty
Chair, UNC Department of Computer Science
Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., Professional Memorial
The Department of Computer Science at UNC held an event honoring the career and professional accomplishments of department founder Dr. Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4, 2023.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
RECEPTION & DEPARTMENT SHOWCASE
FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2023
SITTERSON HALL, 201 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
6PM – 8 PM ET
Reception accompanied by demonstrations from current graduate students, highlighting the current research in the department, as well as a collection of works from Dr. Brooks. Light refreshments provided.
SHARING STORIES: PANEL DISCUSSIONS WITH COLLEAGUES & FRIENDS
SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2023
WILLIAM & IDA FRIDAY CENTER, 100 Friday Center Drive, Chapel Hill, NC27517
10 AM – 4:30 PM ET
Remembering the professional accomplishments and contributions of Dr. Brooks. Colleagues and friends will share stories in panel discussions across all eras of his professional career. Panelists will be joining virtually and in-person.
Detailed Schedule (all times Eastern):
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM: Arrival of Guests
10:00 AM: Welcome
10:15 AM: IBM + S&E Panel (Peter Calingaert, Craig Mudge (virtual), Dick Sites, Bill Wright), moderated by Henry Fuchs
11:00 AM: Break
11:15 AM: Early Department Panel (Steve Bellovin, Lib Moore Jones, Steve Pizer, Steve Weiss), moderated by Gary Bishop
12:00 PM: Lunch/Networking
1:30 PM: Early Graphics Panel (Henry Fuchs, Andrew Glassner (virtual), Mike Pique, Jane Richardson (virtual), Russ Taylor (virtual)), moderated by Mary Whitton
2:30 PM: UNC & Beyond the Department Panel (Penny Rheingans, Ivan Sutherland (virtual), Amitabh Varshney, Sam Williamson), moderated by Steve Weiss
3:15 PM: Break
3:30 PM: Virtual Environments Panel (Ron Azuma, Gary Bishop, Ben Lok, Mary Whitton), moderated by Steve Pizer
4:15 PM: Closing
Photographs
Event photos can be found here.
Have photos you would like to share from the event, please contact the External Relations team at er@cs.unc.edu.
Recordings
SHARING STORIES: PANEL DISCUSSIONS WITH COLLEAGUES & FRIENDS, Saturday, March 4, 2023
Visit our YouTube page to watch the panel discussions.
Event Program
View the event program: Brooks Professional Memorial handout.