ETH Global Lecture Series: The Wild, Unexpected, Exponential Ride Through Computer Graphics
Please join us for Ed Catmull of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios on a tale of computer graphics and the rise of computing power driven by the Game Industry.
A free in-person event.
Wednesday, 2 November 2022
17.30 - 18.30
Door opens at 17.00, HG E 5
external pageRegistration is required.
This lecture is in English.
Programme
17.00 Door opens
17.30 Welcome/Introduction by Chris Luebkeman, Head Foresight, Office of the President
17.35 Global Lecture with Ed Catmull:
"The Wild, Unexpected, Exponential Ride Through Computer Graphics"
18.15 Q&A
18.25 Closing remarks by Markus Gross, ETH Zürich and Disney Research Studios
18.30 End, followed by a reception in the HG Foyer E Süd
19.30 Close
Dr. Ed Catmull is a co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and served as president of Pixar for 33 years, while also serving as president of Walt Disney Animation Studios for 13 of those 33 years. Catmull’s New York Times best-selling book “Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration” published in 2014. Catmull is an ACM Turing Award Laureate, and he has been honored with five Academy Awards, including two Oscars and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Catmull founded three of the leading centers of computer graphics research — including the computer division of Lucasfilm Ltd. and Pixar Animation Studios. Catmull has been a dedicated ACM SIGGRAPH participant for nearly 40 years. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Visual Effects Society. Catmull earned B.S. degrees in physics and computer science and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Utah. In addition, he has received honorary doctorates from the University of Utah and Johns Hopkins University. In 2019, he retired as president of Pixar and Disney Animation and is active in writing and speaking.
Prof. Markus Gross is the Chief Scientist of the Walt Disney Studios and a professor of Computer Science at ETH Zürich. He is one of the leading authorities in visual computing, computer animation, digital humans, virtual reality, and AI. In his role at Disney he leads the Studio segment’s research and development unit, where he and his team are pushing the forefront of technology innovation in service of the filmmaking process. Gross has published over 500 scientific papers and holds over 100 patents. His work and achievements have been recognized widely, including two Academy Awards and the ACM SIGGRAPH Steven Anson Coons Award. Gross is member of multiple academies of science and of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Chris Luebkeman is the leader of the Strategic Foresight Hub in the Office of the President at ETH Zurich. This recently establish Hub is a team which engages a broad range of stakeholders concerning future focused drivers of change. His multidisciplinary education ranges from geology, civil engineering, structural engineering, entrepreneurship and a Doctorate in Architecture. His journey included Vanderbilt, Cornell and the ETH Zurich. He became an academic gypsy teaching Studios on Design and courses on Technology at the University of Oregon, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and at the MIT. He joined the global engineering consultancy Arup in London to lead the Research and Development group in 1999.