Ronald Baecker (born October 7, 1942) is an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science and Bell Chair in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Toronto (UofT),[1] and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University.[2] He was the co-founder of the Dynamic Graphics Project (DGP),[3] and the founder of the Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI)[4] and the Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab (TAGlab) at UofT.[5][6] He was the founder of Canada's research network on collaboration technologies (NECTAR),[7] a founding researcher of AGE-WELL,[8] Canada's Technology and Agine research network, the founder of Springer Nature's Synthesis Lectures on Technology and Health,[9] and the founder of computers-society.org.[10] He also started five software companies between 1976 and 2015.[11] He is currently an ACM Distinguished Speaker.[11]

Ronald Baecker
BornOctober 7, 1942
CitizenshipU.S., Canada
Alma materMIT
Scientific career
FieldsComputer science
InstitutionsUniversity of Toronto and Columbia University

He is the author of Ethical Tech Startup Guide (Springer Nature, 2023),[12] author of Digital Dreams Have Become Nightmares: What We Must Do (2021),[13] co-author of The COVID-19 Solutions Guide (2020),[14] and author of Computers and Society: Modern Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2019).[15] His other books are Readings in Human Computer Interaction: Toward the Year 2000 (Morgan Kaufmann, 1995),[16] Readings in Groupware and Computer Supported Cooperative Work: Software to Facilitate Human-Human Collaboration (Elsevier, 1993),[17] Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs (Addison-Wesley, 1990)[18] and Readings in Human Computer Interaction: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Elsevier, 1987).[19]

Education edit

Baecker received a B.Sc. in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1963, an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1964, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT in 1969.

Summary of research interests edit

Baecker is an expert in human-computer interaction (HCI), user interface (UI) design, software visualization, multimedia, computer-supported cooperative work and learning, entrepreneurship in the software industry, and the design of technologies for aging gracefully.[20][failed verification]

Honors and awards edit

  • ACM Distinguished Speaker, 1 March 2022 - 28 February 2025.[21]
  • Social Impact Award from the ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and Human Interaction (SIGCHI), 2020.[22]
  • 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.[23]
  • Given the 3rd Canadian Digital Media Pioneer Award, GRAND Network of Centres of Excellence, May 2013.[24]
  • Elected as an ACM Fellow, November 2011.[25]
  • Second-place recipient, University of Toronto Inventor of the Year Award, Information and Computer Technology, January 2011.[26]
  • Awarded the 2007 Leadership Award of Merit from the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) in June 2007.[27]
  • Awarded the Canadian Human Computer Communications Society Achievement Award in May 2005.[28]
  • Elected to the ACM SIGCHI CHI Academy in February 2005.[29]
  • Named one of the 60 Pioneers of Computer Graphics by ACM SIGGRAPH in 1998.[30]

References edit

  1. ^ "Faculty Directory". Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  2. ^ "Courses, Department of Computer Science, Columbia University". www.cs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  3. ^ "About". Dynamic Graphics Project. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  4. ^ "About – KMDI". KMDI. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  5. ^ Ledger, Brent (8 December 2011). "Technologies for Aging Gracefully". University of Toronto Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  6. ^ "TAGlab | Technologies for Aging Gracefully". Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  7. ^ "NECTAR to quench thirst for collaborative solutions | IT Business". www.itbusiness.ca. 2004-10-12. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  8. ^ "Dr. Ronald Baecker". AGE-WELL: Canada's Technology and Aging Network.
  9. ^ "Synthesis Lectures on Technology and Health". Springer. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  10. ^ "Computers and Society". Computers and Society. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  11. ^ a b "Ronald Michael Baecker". speakers.acm.org. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  12. ^ Baecker, Ron (2023). Ethical Tech Startup Guide. Synthesis Lectures on Professionalism and Career Advancement for Scientists and Engineers. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-18780-3. ISBN 978-3-031-18779-7. S2CID 258177860.
  13. ^ "Digital Dreams Have Become Nightmares: What We Must Do (2021)". Ronald Baecker. 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  14. ^ "The COVID-19 Solutions Guide (second edition)". Ronald Baecker. 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  15. ^ Baecker, Ronald M. (2019). "Computers and Society: Modern Perspectives". Oxford Academic. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198827085.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-882708-5. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  16. ^ "Readings in Human-Computer Interaction Toward the Year 2000". Elsevier.
  17. ^ "Readings in Groupware and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: Assisting Human-Human Collaboration". Elsevier.
  18. ^ Baecker, Ronald M. (1990). Human factors and typography for more readable programs. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 9780201107456.
  19. ^ Baecker, Ronald M.; Buxton, W. (1987-01-01). "Readings in human-computer interaction: A multidisciplinary approach". Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. OSTI 5039704.
  20. ^ Ron Baecker. "Ph.D., Computer Science, Department of Electrical Engineering, M.I.T 1969". University of Toronto, Toronto.
  21. ^ Baecker, Ronald M. "A Call to Action". cacm.acm.org. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  22. ^ "Professor Emeritus Ron Baecker honoured with 2020 SIGCHI Social Impact Award". Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto. April 2020. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  23. ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award: Ronald M. Baecker | CACS/AIC - Canadian Association of Computer Science". cacsaic.org. Retrieved 2015-11-24.[dead link]
  24. ^ "Ron Baecker | GRAND NCE". grand-nce.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  25. ^ "News". web.cs.toronto.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-24.[dead link]
  26. ^ "Research and Innovation » U of T Inventors of the Year". www.research.utoronto.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  27. ^ "2007 ORION Awards - Celebrating Ontario's contribution to research, teaching and learning -- June 04,2007". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-24.[dead link]
  28. ^ "GI 2005 - Graphics Interface". Graphics Interface. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  29. ^ "2005 SIGCHI Awards". www.sigchi.org. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  30. ^ SIGGRAPH. Retrieved 2023-07-17.