Donald P. Greenberg
Encyclopedia
Donald Peter Greenberg is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Computer Graphics
at Cornell University
.
Greenberg earned his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University
, where he played on the tennis and soccer teams and was a member of Tau Delta Phi
and the Quill and Dagger
society. He joined the Cornell faculty in 1968 with a joint appointment in the College of Engineering
and College of Architecture
. He currently serves as Director of the Program of Computer Graphics. In the late 1960s, he constructed the "flying diaper" sculpture, which currently stands at the entrance of the Cornell Plantations
.
In 1971, Greenberg produced an early sophisticated computer graphics movie, Cornell in Perspective, using the General Electric
Visual Simulation Laboratory with the assistance of its director, Quill and Dagger
classmate Rodney S. Rougelot. Greenberg also co-authored a series of papers on the Cornell Box
.
An internationally recognized pioneer in computer graphics, Greenberg has authored hundreds of articles and served as a teacher and mentor to many prominent computer graphic artists and animators. Five former students have won Academy Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievements
, five have won the SIGGRAPH
Achievement Award, and many now work for Pixar
Animation Studios. Greenberg was the founding director of the National Science Foundation
Science and Technology Center for Computer Graphics and Scientific Visualization when it was created in 1991. His former students include Robert L. Cook
, Marc Levoy
, and Wayne Lytle
.
Greenberg received the Steven Anson Coons
Award in 1987, the most prestigious award in the field of computer graphics
.
Prior to teaching at Cornell, Greenberg was a consulting engineer with Severud Associates, working on famous structures like the St. Louis Arch and Madison Square Garden
.
Greenberg has served as a visiting professor at ETH Zurich
and Yale University
. He is on the board of directors of the Interactive Data Corporation
and Chyron Corporation
. He holds membership in the National Academy of Engineering
, American Association for the Advancement of Science
, Association for Computing Machinery
, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
, SIGGRAPH
, and Eurographics
. He was named a fellow of ACM
in 1995.
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
Greenberg earned his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, where he played on the tennis and soccer teams and was a member of Tau Delta Phi
Tau Delta Phi
Tau Delta Phi is a national social fraternity founded on June 22, 1910 in New York City. Its members are known as Tau Delts. Since its inception, dozens of chapters have been founded and thousands of men initiated into its membership...
and the Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent collegiate societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones of Yale University...
society. He joined the Cornell faculty in 1968 with a joint appointment in the College of Engineering
Cornell University College of Engineering
The College of Engineering is a division of Cornell University that was founded in 1870 as the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts...
and College of Architecture
Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University was established in 1871 as the School of Architecture with the hiring of Charles Babcock as the first Professor creating the first four-year course of study in architecture in the United States...
. He currently serves as Director of the Program of Computer Graphics. In the late 1960s, he constructed the "flying diaper" sculpture, which currently stands at the entrance of the Cornell Plantations
Cornell Plantations
The Cornell Plantations are botanical gardens located adjacent to the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York. The Plantations proper consist of of botanical gardens and of the F.R. Newman Arboretum...
.
In 1971, Greenberg produced an early sophisticated computer graphics movie, Cornell in Perspective, using the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Visual Simulation Laboratory with the assistance of its director, Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent collegiate societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones of Yale University...
classmate Rodney S. Rougelot. Greenberg also co-authored a series of papers on the Cornell Box
Cornell Box
The Cornell Box is a test aimed at determining the accuracy of rendering software by comparing the rendered scene with an actual photograph of the same scene. It was created by Cindy M. Goral, Kenneth E. Torrance, Donald P...
.
An internationally recognized pioneer in computer graphics, Greenberg has authored hundreds of articles and served as a teacher and mentor to many prominent computer graphic artists and animators. Five former students have won Academy Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievements
Academy Award, Scientific or Technical
Since 1931, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has given the Scientific and Technical Award, an Academy Award for scientific or technical achievements, which are presented at "a dinner ceremony separate from the annual telecast."...
, five have won the SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
Achievement Award, and many now work for Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
Animation Studios. Greenberg was the founding director of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Science and Technology Center for Computer Graphics and Scientific Visualization when it was created in 1991. His former students include Robert L. Cook
Robert L. Cook
Robert L. Cook is a computer graphics researcher and developer, and the co-creator of the RenderMan rendering software. Cook was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and educated at Duke University and Cornell University. While at Cornell, Cook worked with Donald P. Greenberg. He is now Vice President of...
, Marc Levoy
Marc Levoy
Marc Levoy is a computer graphics researcher and Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. He is noted for pioneering work in volume rendering....
, and Wayne Lytle
Wayne Lytle
Wayne Lytle is the founder of Animusic, an American musical computer animation company.He created the piece More Bells & Whistles at Cornell University in 1990 and composed Beyond The Walls in 1996.- Background :...
.
Greenberg received the Steven Anson Coons
Steven Anson Coons
Steven Anson Coons was an early pioneer in the field of computer graphical methods. He was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Mechanical Engineering Department...
Award in 1987, the most prestigious award in the field of computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
.
Prior to teaching at Cornell, Greenberg was a consulting engineer with Severud Associates, working on famous structures like the St. Louis Arch and Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.
Greenberg has served as a visiting professor at ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He is on the board of directors of the Interactive Data Corporation
Interactive Data Corporation
Interactive Data Corporation provides financial market data , analytics and related solutions to financial institutions, active traders and individual investors...
and Chyron Corporation
Chyron Corporation
The Chyron Corporation is a Melville, N.Y.-based company that develops products and services for digital broadcast graphics creation. The company’s solutions, which include the AXIS Graphics online content creation software and order management system and a range of on-air graphics systems, clip...
. He holds membership in the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
, SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
, and Eurographics
Eurographics
Eurographics is a Europe-wide professional Computer Graphics association. The association supports its members in advancing the state of the art in Computer Graphics and related fields such as Multimedia, Scientific Visualization and Human-Computer Interaction....
. He was named a fellow of ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
in 1995.