The CIS Department and GRASP Lab invite you to please join us on Thursday, November 17th, at 3:30pm as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Max Mintz, Professor of Computer and Information Science. Max joined Penn as an assistant professor of Systems Engineering (now part of ESE) in 1974. He changed his primary appointment to Computer and Information Science in 1986, and he was an important part of CIS undergraduate education and advising for 36 years. His research in Penn’s GRASP Lab focused on developing robust algorithms for decision-making under uncertainty with applications to machine perception and robotics. Max was a legendary teacher, an extraordinary advisor, and an inspiration to his students, encouraging them to go well beyond their comfort level in their academic preparation and homework. He won numerous awards including the S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award, the University’s Lindback Award, and the Ford Motor Company Award for Distinguished Advising.  A memorial celebration will be held in the Wu and Chen Auditorium of Levine Hall, followed by a reception. We hope you can attend. *If you would like to attend, please RSVP here! In-person attendees, please RSVP by 5pm on 11/14/22 *If you’d like to submit photos of Dr. Mintz to be shared during the event, please upload them here! *To attend virtually, please join via Zoom here. *For virtual attendees to submit a video to be added to the open mic section, please upload the video here! (2 minute maximum, preferrable length 30-90 seconds)

ABOUT Dr. Max Mintz:

Max Mintz was born on September 4th, 1942, and grew up outside of New York City.  He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering at Cornell University and then completed a Ph.D. in Systems Theory in 1968. He then joined Yale University, first as a post-doc and then as an Assistant Professor in Control Theory and Electrical Engineering.  He subsequently taught at the University of Illinois for two years before joining the Systems Engineering department (now part of Electrical and Systems Engineering) at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974.  In 1984, at the invitation of Ruzena Bajcsy, he joined the GRASP Lab, and in 1986 he switched his primary affiliation to the Department of Computer and Information Science. As an integral member of the GRASP Lab, Dr. Mintz’s research focused on control theory with stochastic systems.  He developed robust algorithms for decision-making under uncertainty with applications to machine perception and robotics, combining ideas from mathematics, physics, and game theory.  Later in his career, he turned his attention to quantum computing, and especially how to teach it in a way that was accessible to undergraduates. Dr. Mintz was a legendary teacher, an extraordinary advisor, and an inspiration to his students, encouraging them to go well beyond their comfort level in their academic preparation and homework. He played an important part of CIS undergraduate education and advising for 36 years, winning numerous awards for these efforts, including the S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award, the University’s Lindback Award, and the Ford Motor Company Award for Distinguished Advising.

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Itinerary:

3:30 PM	Welcome and Opening Remarks – Dr. Zachary Ives Adani President’s Distinguished Professor and Department Chair, CIS – Dr.Vijay Kumar Nemirovsky Family Dean, Penn Engineering – Dr.Ruzena Bajsy Founder, GRASP Lab – Video Memoir – Photo Collage with two of Max’s favorite songs (Rock around the Clock by Bill Haley and The Three Bells by The Browns) – Renaming of CIS TA Undergraduate Hall of Fame in Max’s Honor (presented by Dr. Val Tannen) – Plaque Unveiling – Smartboard “donated by Computer Graphics Faculty in memory of Max Mintz’s teaching prowess” to the GRASP Lab (presented by Amy Calhoun)
4:05 PM	Invited Speakers & Open Mic
5:00 PM	Wrap-up and Closing (Charity Payne) *Reception to follow
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM	Reception in Levine Lobby (3330 Walnut Street – 1st floor of Levine Hall)

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Memories of Max

*Many more photos and memories will be shared at the event! If you’d like to submit photos of Dr. Mintz to be included, please upload them here!