E. Allen Emerson, a beloved and long-serving member of the faculty in Computer Science at UT Austin and a renowned Computer Scientist, passed away in October of 2024. In this one-day memorial seminar, we will share memories of Allen, reflect on the seminal influence of his ideas in logic and computing, and celebrate his life and work. The seminar will include technical sessions with invited lectures on some of the many areas of research touched by Allen’s genius and insight, as well as time for personal remembrances by family, friends, students, and colleagues.
This event is free and open to the public, with both in-person and virtual attendance options. Virtual attendees will receive participation instructions via email before the event.
E. Allen Emerson Memorial Seminar
Date: Monday, April 28, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Location: William C. Powers Jr. Student Activity Center, University of Texas at Austin, 2201 Speedway
RSVP: Register to attend in person or virtually.
See below for details of the program.
A Life in Computer Science
Prof. E. Allen Emerson studied mathematics as an undergraduate at The University of Texas in Austin before switching to theoretical computer science for his doctorate at Harvard. In the course of his Ph.D. research at Harvard, Allen co-invented “Model Checking," an automated method for a computer to verify whether a (given) program meets its correctness and security requirements. The invention of model checking was a revolutionary advancement. Correctness proofs that would have taken days or weeks to construct by hand could now be done automatically in a few seconds. Model checking is routinely applied today to find errors in computer chips, network protocols, and critical software modules. For his part in the creation of model checking, Allen was named a joint winner of the Turing Award in 2007.
Allen spent his academic career at the Department of Computer Science at UT Austin, retiring in 2016 as Regents Chair Emeritus. Allen was an inspirational teacher who challenged students to be deliberate and rigorous thinkers. He used a deductive style of teaching in graduate classes, called the Moore method, where students would solve problems on their own without the aid of a textbook. Allen advised 15 Ph.D. students at UT Austin, who have gone on to careers in academia, research, and industry, and whose lives and careers have been deeply influenced by what they learned from him. He shared a warm camaraderie with his students, interacting with them as he would with his peers and friends. His students recollect his dry humor and wonderful memories of conversations on all kinds of topics under the sun, ranging from science fiction and human physiology to stand-up comedy and rabbits.
Monday, April 28, 2025
8:00AM-6:00PM
William C. Powers Jr. Student Activity Center
Parking: San Jacinto Garage, 2400 San Jacinto Blvd
Agenda
8:00-8:10 AM: Welcome by UTCS
8:10 -9:30 AM: Distinguished Lecture Session 1
Chair: Charanjit Jutla
- 8:10-8:30 AM: Joseph Sifakis
- 8:30-8:50 AM: Krzysztof Apt
- 8:50-9:10 AM: Orna Kupferman
- 9:10-9:30 AM: Damian Niwinski
9:30-10:00 AM: Break
10:00-11:20AM: Distinguished Lecture Session 2
Chair: Tomas Wahl
- 10:00-10:20 AM: Prasad Sistla
- 10:20-10:40 AM: Dexter Kozen
- 10:40-11:00 AM: Fred Schneider
- 11:00-11:20AM: Joe Halpern
11:20-12:50 PM: Lunch
12:50-1:50 PM: Distinguished Lecture Session 3
Chair: Kedar Namjoshi
- 12:50-1:10 PM: Ken McMillan
- 1:10-1:30 PM: David Dill
- 1:30-1:50 PM: Rajeev Alur
1:50-2:10 PM: Break
2:10-5:30 PM: Personal reflections
We will conclude this event with personal reflections and remarks from Allen's family, friends, colleagues, and students, including a celebratory pictorial video of his life.
6:00PM: Dinner on your own
Have questions? Contact Rebekah Rice by email at rebekah@cs.utexas.edu.