The Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

Sort Interviews by Affiliation or Theme

Theme: Computer Science

Margaret Burnett Oral History Interview - January 10, 2017

Margaret Burnett Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
January 10, 2017
Margaret Burnett (b. 1949) is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science who has been a member of the OSU faculty since 1993. A co-founder of the discipline of end-user software engineering, Burnett is perhaps most prominently known for her development of the GenderMag protocol, which helps software engineers to evaluate the gender inclusivity of the programs that they create. Burnett has also made important contributions to multiple visual programming languages and to the theory of information foraging. The evolution of her research and her experiences as a woman in the field of computer science are the primary emphases of her interview.

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Tom Dietterich Oral History Interview - June 10, 2015

Tom Dietterich Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 10, 2015
Tom Dietterich (b. 1954), a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was a member of the OSU faculty from 1985 to his retirement in 2016. A leading thinker in the field of machine learning, Dietterich has made numerous contributions to the advancement of artificial intelligence, including multiple applications of computing power to the solution of a variety of ecological problems. A co-founder and past president of the Machine Learning Society, Dietterich has also been involved with a number of several private sector ventures, including work as Chief Scientist at Strands, Inc. and BigML. His interview focuses on his life-long fascination with computers, his major contributions to machine learning, and the evolution of Computer Science over three decades at OSU.

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Bill Sundermeier Oral History Interview - December 12, 2014

Bill Sundermeier Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
December 12, 2014
Bill Sundermeier (b. 1963) is a 1985 graduate of OSU's Computer Science program. While at Oregon State, Sundermeier worked as a consultant for Tektronix, writing programs on a large Tektronix 4051 personal computer while in his dorm room at Weatherford Hall. Following graduation, Sundermeier spent eight years as a product marketing manager at Northwest Instrument Systems, and another twenty years with an infrared camera technology company, FLIR Systems. At FLIR, Sundermeier rose to the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager for Portland Operations. In 2004, Sundermeier was inducted into the OSU College of Engineering's Academy of Distinguished Engineers. His interview concentrates primarily on his memories of living in Weatherford Hall in the years prior to its decade-long closure in 1994. Sundermeier's undergraduate experience in Computer Science and his professional activities in the technology sector are also included as secondary topics.

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Tom Yates Oral History Interview - February 10, 2016

Tom Yates Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
February 10, 2016
Tom Yates (b. 1927) was among the very first individuals to be hired as a computer programmer by the state of Oregon. Trained in mathematics and intending to become a teacher, Yates instead discovered a love of computers in the mid-1950s. In 1957, the state hired Yates to fill the newly created position of Electronic Data Processing programmer, and over the course of the next five years he wrote programs that supported the functions of multiple governmental departments. In 1962, Yates accepted a position as director of the Statistics department computer lab at Oregon State University, and he later proved crucial to expansion of computing functions on campus, including the automation of OSU's class registration process. In 1976, he was named Director of the OSU Computer Center, a position that he held until his retirement from Oregon State in 1985. His interview traces his long and pioneering career in computer programming, and provides institutional memories of the advancement of OSU's computing infrastructure in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

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