ACM SIGGRAPH again honored excellence with the presentation of various industry awards, during the show yesterday morning. Award winners include Robert L. Cook and Michael Kass of Pixar Animation Studios, Wojciech Matusik of Adobe Systems Inc., and Roman Verostko of Minneapolis College of Art & Design.
Steven A. Coons Award
Robert L. Cook
Vice President of Advanced Technology, Pixar Animation Studios
The Steven A. Coons Award is given in odd-numbered years to an individual to honor that person's lifetime contribution to the field of computer graphics and interactive techniques. This year's award is presented to Robert L. Cook for his foundational contributions to physically-based reflectance models and distribution ray tracing and his enduring work on behalf of the SIGGRAPH community.
Computer Graphics Achievement Award
Michael Kass
Senior Scientist, Pixar Animation Studios
The Computer Graphics Achievement Award is given each year to recognize an individual for outstanding long-lasting achievements in computer graphics and interactive techniques. ACM SIGGRAPH is pleased to present this award to Michael Kass for his extensive and significant contributions to computer graphics, ranging from image processing to animation to modeling, and in particular for his use of optimization for physical simulation and image segmentation.
Significant New Researcher Award
Wojciech Matusik
Senior Research Scientist, Adobe Systems Inc.
The Significant New Researcher Award is awarded annually to a researcher who has made a recent significant contribution to the field of computer graphics and is new to the field. The intent is to recognize people very early in their career who have already made a notable contribution and are likely to make more. ACM SIGGRAPH is proud to recognize Wojciech Matusik, for his innovative work in data-driven material representations and systems for data acquisition and display.
The Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital
Roman Verostko
Professor Emeritus, Minneapolis College of Art & Design
Lynn Hershman Leeson
Professor Emeritus, University of California - Davis
Chair of Film Department, San Francisco Art Institute
The Distinguished Artist Award is awarded annually to an artist who has created a substantial and important body of work that significantly advances aesthetic content in the field of digital art. With this new award, ACM SIGGRAPH recognizes contributions of artists working with a wide range of artistic applications. The committee selected two artists for this initial year of the Distinguished Artist Award, which in subsequent years will normally be given to a single artist. ACM SIGGRAPH is pleased to honor both Roman Verostko, for his contributions to the aesthetics of algorithmic art, by fusing his knowledge of computer programming with a long engagement with diverse cultural traditions to produce masterful prints, and Lynn Hershman Leeson, for her paradigm-changing innovations in applying emergent media to visionary forms of creative expression with insightfully cultural discourse