Ronald Baecker

Dr. Baecker is an expert in human-computer interaction (HCI), user interface (UI) design, software visualization, multimedia, computer-supported cooperative work and learning, and entrepreneurship in the software industry.[1]

From 1966 through 1969, Dr. Baecker developed the first comprehensive conceptual framework for computer animation on Genesys, a foundational computer animation system that he himself designed and built at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This work helped launch the field of computer animation. He also developed Smalltalk, a novel computer animation system for children, at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in 1974 and worked on interactive computer graphics and guided the realization and testing of the animated icon from 1988 through 1990.[2]

Continuing on his work on software visualization, between 1973 and 1981, he produced the film Sorting Out Sorting – a seminal piece elucidating the potential of computer animation and behavior that propelled the field of algorithm animation. In addition to the film, Dr. Baecker and his colleagues presented a systematic and comprehensive new approach to enhancing the presentation of computer program source using graphic design principles (1982–88), formulated conceptual frameworks for software visualization (1981–92), and constructed powerful yet unobtrusive systems for the visualization of programs in particular programming languages, and then applied it to the LOGO system(1988–94).[3]

From the 1990s through the 2010s, he created two innovative collaborative multimedia technologies. His team was the first group to employ hierarchically structured multimedia for the interactive authoring of digital video and other dynamic visual presentations, and the first to apply such a system to the creation of materials for software support and training. Additionally, his team worked on the use of highly interactive webcasting with structured rich media archives as the ePresence Interactive Media environment for collaborative learning.[4]

Furthermore, Dr. Baecker founded TAGlab to research the design of technologies for aging gracefully and was a founding researcher in AGE-WELL, Canada's Technology and Aging research network.[5] This research is primarily focused on increasing computer literacy among seniors and using technology to help individuals work better and be safer. His current research has been centered on envisioning, designing, building, and evaluating technological aids intended for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, amnesia, vision loss, and stroke, and the natural consequences of aging.

Systems built include the development of online social gaming environments for seniors, online brain fitness environments, mobile phone software to help individuals with communication challenges to speak, e-book software to help people with visual or motor impairments to read, digital communicating picture frame technology to help connect individuals who are isolated and lonely to family and friends, and a thanatosensitive design of web portals to support individuals who are grieving.[6]

Dr. Baecker was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin on October 7, 1942. When he was four, his family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His scientific career got off to an early start, when, in April 1958, he was awarded third prize in the American Chemical Society Chemistry test (Pittsburgh Section). He went on to win several other science honors while at Taylor Allderdice High School, including attending the Westinghouse Science Honors Institute (October 1958 to April 1959), and the Sun-Telegraph, Pittsburgh and Allegheny Count High Schools Scholastic Award in Science (1959).

In 1960, he began work as a summer research assistant at Koppers Company Research Labs. He was awarded a B.S. degree in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1963 and received an M.S. degree in the then burgeoning field of Electrical Engineering, again from MIT in 1964. At the end of 1964, he traveled to the University of Heidelberg in Germany to further his studies in applied mathematics where he stayed until July 1965. He returned to his alma mater to study Computer Science at MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and received his Ph.D. in June 1969.[7]

• Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Association of Computer Science/Association d’informatique Canadienne, the national organization of Canadian Computer Science Departments/Schools/Faculties, May 2015.[9]
• Given the 3rd Canadian Digital Media Pioneer Award, GRAND Network of Centres of Excellence, May 2013.[10]
• Elected as an ACM Fellow, November 2011.[11]
• Together with Alex Levy, Aakash Sahney, and Kevin Tonon, second place recipient of the 2011 University of Toronto Inventor of the Year Award in the Information and Computer Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities category, January 2011.[12]
• Awarded the 2007 Leadership Award of Merit from the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) in June 2007.[13]
• Awarded the Canadian Human Computer Communications Society Achievement Award in May 2005.[14]
• Elected to the ACM SIGCHI CHI Academy in February 2005.[15]
• Named as one of 60 Pioneers in Computer Graphics by ACM SIGGRAPH, and honoured with a photographic collection exhibited at SIGGRAPH’98 and later at the Boston Computer Museum, July 1998.

Dr. Baecker's students are or have been professors at:

• University of Toronto
• University of British Columbia
• University of Alberta
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology
• Nipissing University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• The Open University
• Hong Kong University
• National University of Singapore
• Several community colleges.[16]

Others are or have been researchers or professional staff at The National Research Council (Canada), Microsoft and Microsoft Research, Google, IBM, Oracle Corporation, Sun Microsystems, The University of Toronto, McMaster University, Xerox, Nynex, Intel, Nortel, SRI International, Pixar/Disney, Alias Research, ATI, Electronic Arts, Matrox, McGraw-Hill, T-Mobile, Amazon, Intuit, McKinsey Corporation, Mark Logic, Silk Road Technology, Caseware international, Artez Interactive, Altamont Computers, Nectarine Group, Sapient, and ISS (Singapore). Others have started or been instrumental in the growth of companies such as SideFX, Data Mirror, Inea, Viigo, and TokBox.[17]