[x3d-public] Norman I. Badler, Computer & Information Science

[Don Brutzman]

Norm Badler's work is essential to the design of the HAnim standard.

Norman I. Badler, Computer & Information Science | University of
Pennsylvania Almanac
<https://almanac.upenn.edu/articles/norman-i-badler-computer-information-science>

https://almanac.upenn.edu/articles/norman-i-badler-computer-information-science

Norman I. Badler, an emeritus professor in the department of computer and
information science (CIS) in the School of Engineering & Applied Science,
died on May 15. He was 77.

Dr. Badler earned a bachelor’s degree in creative studies (mathematics)
from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1970, then a PhD in
computer science in 1975 and a master’s degree in mathematics in 1977, both
from the University of Toronto.

In 1974, while earning his PhD, Dr. Badler joined the faculty of Penn’s
Moore School of Electrical Engineering, which was later integrated into
Penn Engineering, as an assistant professor in CIS. Over a career that
lasted nearly fifty years, he went on to serve in multiple leadership roles
at Penn, including serving as chair of CIS from 1990 to 1994 and as
associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Engineering & Applied
Science from 2001 to 2005. He held two endowed professorships at different
points in his tenure at Penn: the Cecilia Fitler Moore Professorship from
1990 to 1994, and the Andrew S. and Debra Rachleff Professorship from 2013
until his retirement and assumption of emeritus status in 2021. He joined
Penn’s 25 Year Club in 1999.

In 1998, Dr. Badler launched Penn Engineering’s digital media design
undergraduate major, one of the first engineering-emphasis degrees devoted
to computer graphics. He was also the founding director of the Center for
Human Modeling and Simulation, which under his leadership became
internationally recognized for its groundbreaking work on virtual humans,
embodied agents, and simulation technologies that have impacted industries
from animation and gaming to military training and human-computer
interaction.

Dr. Badler leaves behind a legacy in the fields of computer graphics, human
modeling, and artificial intelligence. His research helped define how
computers could simulate realistic human motion and behavior, making him a
seminal figure in the evolution of computer animation and interactive
virtual environments. His work laid the foundation for many of the
technologies in visual computing.

Throughout his career, he served as the senior co-editor for the
journal *Graphical
Models* (for 20 years) and on the editorial boards of several other
journals; he also authored several books, including *Simulating Humans:
Computer Graphics Animation and Control* (1993) and, most recently, *On
Raising a Digital Human: A Personal Evolution* (2024), a collection of
lecture transcriptions that served as a memoir. He was active in the
Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer
Graphics and Interactive Techniques (ACM SIGGRAPH), which named him to its
2021 academy class, considered one of the highest honors in the field of
computer graphics.

“Dr. Badler’s legacy will continue through the work of his students, the
ongoing impact of his research, and the enduring strength of the academic
programs he helped build at Penn Engineering,” said his department in a
tribute.
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