The A. Nico Habermann Educational Service Award
School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh PA 15213-3891
(412)268-8525 . (412)268-5576 (fax)

Reflections

Dennis W. Cosgrove
Project Scientist, Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and Chief Architect, The Alice Project
2014 Awardee

Thank you for this recognition. I am humbled and honored to receive this award. It has been my great pleasure to work on Alice since its inception in the early '90s. We have always endeavored to lower the barriers of entry to computer science, while maintaining the rigor of the discipline. It has been a long and tough row to hoe, but a very rewarding one.

At the beginning of this journey, I thought brilliant ideas were the key to success. Over the years, I have come to realize that good ideas are a dime a dozen. The sustained, passionate effort that is necessary to bring those ideas to light is what matters. Alice has reached millions because a small group of dedicated people have been willing to put in that effort, year after year. The great thing about being in SCS is that we are not alone in this regard. Here, we are surrounded by people going to incredible lengths to bring great ideas to life. I feel privileged to be in their company and inspired by their example to keep pushing forward.

17 May 2014


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