Computer whiz, Carson High School graduate receives award

Eric Roberts was 16 when he spent six weeks of his summer at a California State University, Chico science camp working on computers.

His bed hadn't been slept in when his parents, Carson City residents Jim and Anne Roberts, came to pick him up.

It is not that strange nowadays to hear about someone spending four weeks in front of a computer, but in 1968 when Eric was 16, computers filled rooms. Few imagined that in three short decades the computer would be a popular home appliance along with the toaster and the television.

At Chico, he showed his chops by being pulled out of regular classes and put to work.

"I was the classic computer nerd," he said. "I was too advanced for the regular program, so I spent the time as an assistant to some graduate students."

Eric was in Carson City last weekend, visiting his parents after a five-day conference, which attracted more than 1,000 computer science educators from around the nation.

Eric, who has authored several books about computing, was the keynote speaker for the Reno symposium of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education.

He also received the group's award for outstanding contributions to computer science education.

It was purely coincidental that the conference was held in Reno, where Eric spent part of his childhood.

At 50, Eric is a long way from those early days in Reno and Carson City, where he first learned of his knack with computers.

He grew up next door to John Etchemendy, a University of Nevada, Reno graduate who is now provost at Stanford.

Eric's first experience with computers came after he moved to Carson City. During his first year of high school, he took a science aptitude test and scored off the charts.

Eric learned about computers by working with the state's computer programmers after school. That is what prepared him for those four sleepless weeks at Chico.

He graduated from Carson High School in 1969 and went straight to Harvard, where he stayed for nearly a dozen years. He crowned his education with a doctorate in applied mathematics in 1980.

"When I went to Harvard you couldn't major in computer science," he said. "There were people who didn't consider computing to be a science."

He was there at the right time to be on the cutting edge of a discipline that often defines the edge.

"I took the first networking class at Harvard," he said. "I can honestly say I was present at the creation."

Eric's father, Jim, is a retired UNR political science professor. Eric has a brother, Mark, who is a doctor and a sister, Wendy who is an attorney.

Eric is married to Lauren Rusk and has written three major computing textbooks and 75 articles and working papers.

Though a professor of computer science at Stanford and a longtime member of the organization, Eric said he didn't originally plan on going to the group's conference this year.

"I haven't missed a conference in 15 years, but I didn't plan to go," he said.

That's because he is teaching at Oxford in England this semester. It wasn't until November, with preparations to go overseas already made, that he learned he should attend this year's gathering.

"I'm glad I came," he said. "I like this group of people so much and I have such a long standing relationship with them."

Eric delivered his address on Feb. 20, the same day he received his award. His topic is one that is near to his heart, increasing the diversity of people involved in the computer sciences.

"Computers are used by a wide group of people," he said. "They should be designed by many different people."

The more people who learn about computer science, the more talent will be discovered, according to Eric.

"Since the skills are rare, we need to mine broadly to find people who have them," he said.

One of the things that frightens many students from computing is the belief that math skills are important.

Eric believes creativity and a desire to solve puzzles may be more important skills to understanding computers.

"If you like a challenge and not being beaten by a mere computer then you can make this work," he said. "But that's not to say anyone can do it. Not everybody can be a great violinist. But nobody can be a great violinist without being trained."

Eric is involved in several efforts to increase the number and diversity of students attracted to computer science programs.

One innovation is to use large numbers of undergraduate mentors in the first courses.

He is involved in a program to bring computer science to public schools in Bermuda and he appeared in a short documentary describing the effort.

Kurt Hildebrand is former managing editor of the Nevada Appeal. Reach him at 887-2430, ext. 402 or e-mail him at kurt@tahoe.com