Who is dr randy pausch

Flamboyance and showmanship At Carnegie Mellon, he was a professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design, and was recognized as a pioneer of virtual reality research.

On campus, he became known for his flamboyance and showmanship as a teacher and mentor. The speech last fall was part of a series Carnegie Mellon called "The Last Lecture," where professors were asked to think about what matters to them most and give a hypothetical final talk.

The name of the lecture series was changed to "Journeys" before Pausch spoke, something he joked about in his lecture. He told the packed auditorium he fulfilled almost all his childhood dreams — being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia and working with the Walt Disney Co. He then joked about his quirky hobby of winning stuffed animals at amusement parks — another of his childhood dreams — and how his mother introduced him to people to keep him humble: "This is my son, he's a doctor, but not the kind that helps people.

Pausch said he was embarrassed and flattered by the popularity of his message. Millions viewed the complete or abridged version of the lecture, titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," online. Pausch lobbied Congress for more federal funding for pancreatic cancer research and appeared on "Oprah" and other TV shows. Be the first penguin. Click the penguin to learn how Randy used penguins as a motivating tool ». It was Prof. Pausch's lecture that helped persevere and embrace my college experience.

Pausch's advice helped me tackle obstacles, see the good in people and most importantly, showed me how great a university Carnegie Mellon is. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Uncategorized uncategorized.

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In May , Pausch was listed by Time as one of the World's Top Most Influential People Pausch also attracted the attention of the National Football League, which allowed him to join the Pittsburgh Steelers for a day of regular practice after the organization learned that one of his childhood dreams mentioned in his "Last Lecture" was to play in the NFL. Hearing of this, director and producer J.

Abrams sent a personal e-mail to Pausch, inviting him to the set of the film Star Trek in Los Angeles. Pausch happily accepted and was given a brief role in the film, complete with a customized Starfleet uniform which he was allowed to keep and a line of dialogue.

In May , a PET scan showed that Pausch's cancer had spread to his lungs and the lymph nodes in his chest. On 24 July, it was revealed that the cancer had progressed further than expected. The next day Pausch succumbed to his disease at his family's home in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he had moved to be with extended family.