February 16, 2008 —

George Bekey

Renowned roboticist George Bekey, a university professor emeritus in the Viterbi School, will receive the USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th annual Academic Honors Convocation on April 7.

The USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award is granted to a small number of distinguished retired faculty each year at the Academic Honors Convocation, held each spring at Town and Gown, and is meant to recognize, “eminent careers and notable contributions to the university, the profession and the community.”

“For decades, George Bekey is, and has been, one of USC’s greatest intellectual assets and he richly deserves this award,” said Dean Yannis C. Yortsos. “The Viterbi School’s has risen to prominence largely because we are standing on the shoulders of giants like George.”

A pioneer in the fields of biomedical research, man-machine systems and robotics, Bekey founded the Viterbi School’s Robotics Research Program and Department of Biomedical Engineering. He was also an influential early member and former chair of both the electrical engineering and computer science departments.

Bekey’s list of accolades includes numerous awards and appointments within and without the university, including USC’s Presidential Medallion.

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, where he helped found the Robotics and Automation Society and edited its first journal, “Transactions.”

Along with publication in over 200 technical papers across a number of fields, Bekey is a fellow at American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence.

“The Computer Science Department is extremely proud to know that one of its own has been honored with the USC Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Ramesh Govindan, chair of Bekey’s home department. “George has had a significant role in shaping our department. To a long list of honors, including National Academy memberships, George adds this significant recognition, and has set a standard of excellence for the rest of us to emulate.”