Summer 2002

IN MEMORIUM

--Dr. Norman E. Gibbs, First Director of the MSE Program
Dr. Norman E. Gibbs, first Director of the Master's of Software Engineering program, passed away on April 26, 2002. At the time of his passing, Dr. Gibbs was Chair of Ball State University's Computer Science Department, a position he assumed in July 2000. He spent over a decade as director of the SEI Software Engineering Education Program, where along with his colleagues, he developed a software engineering curriculum, while impacting the proliferation of MSE degree programs throughout the U.S.. He later served as Professor of Computer Science and Director of Software Engineering Education in the School of Computer Science, before returning to the SEI as Director of the Products and Services Division and administrator in charge of CERT.

--Teruko Yata, Robotics Post-doctoral Fellow
Teruko Yata, postdoctoral fellow in the Robotics Institute since 2000 passed away unexpectedly in June. Dr. Yata graduated from the University of Tsukuba, working under the guidance of Professor Yuta, before coming to the United States. For the past three years, she served as a post-doctoral fellow in the Robotics Institute, under Chuck Thorpe, Director, Robotics Institute. Dr. Yata's accomplishments in the field of ultrasonic sensing were highly regarded and won her the Best Student Paper Award at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in 1999.

In remembering Dr. Yata, Chuck Thorpe said, "The quality of her work was exceeded only by her kindness and thoughtfulness as a friend. Her family and friends will always remember her love of adventure, her good nature, and her cheery smile, which brought much happiness to all who met her. Teruko will be missed by the many people around the world who had the good fortune to know her."

The Teruko Yata Memorial Lecture Series has been established in Dr. Yata's memory. The lecture series will highlight innovative new research in robotics. Individuals interested in making a gift to help support the Teruko Yata Memorial Lecture Series may contact Matt Hughes at mhughes@cs.cmu.edu or (412) 268-4970 .