Distinguished Engineering Alumnus
Award Recipient
John Turner Whitted — 2005
This outstanding engineer earned his PhD in electrical engineering from NC State University in 1978. He received his bachelor's degree in 1969 and his master's degree in 1970 in electrical engineering from Duke University.
He is a senior researcher and area manager at Microsoft Corporation. Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003, he is known as one of the pioneers in three-dimensional computer graphics and the originator of the use of ray tracing for global illumination.
He began his career in the computer systems research laboratory at Bell Labs. In 1983 he co-founded NDL, a company that provides 3D graphics tools and engines for developers of video games, online 3D applications, and simulation and training applications. He was president of the company until 1996 and continued to serve as a director until NDL's recent merger with Emergent Game Technologies.
From 1983 to 2001 he served as adjunct professor of computer science at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a named inventor on eight US patents for Microsoft. An active alumnus, he is a strong supporter of the departments of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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Also awarded in 2005
John Turner Whitted