Robotics pioneer to give Pritsker lecture at Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Thomas B. Sheridan, a professor emeritus of engineering and applied psychology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will speak on April 18 for the Pritsker Scholars Distinguished Lecture Series at Purdue University.

The series, presented by the Purdue School of Industrial Engineering, is named for the late Alan Pritsker, who made major contributions to industrial engineering, particularly in the area of computer simulation.

Sheridan, a Purdue alumnus, is a pioneer of robotics and remote-control technology. He will speak about the history of human-system modeling and discuss several challenges for the future. The lecture will be at 1:30 p.m. in Stewart Center, Room 206. The talk is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

Sheridan has contributed to modeling human performance, human-automation interaction, telerobotics, virtual reality and safety in more than 200 technical papers and five books. He was president of the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society and the Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1995.

He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1951 from Purdue, a master's degree in engineering in 1954 from the University of California Los Angeles, and a doctorate from MIT in 1959.

The lecture series reinforces Pritsker's legacy at Purdue and in the field of industrial engineering. As a leader in simulation, he was pivotal in building the School of Industrial Engineering's reputation. He helped it become a frontrunner in research and thought leadership.

Pritsker was on the Purdue faculty from 1970-98. In 1973 he co-founded Pritsker & Associates to use computer simulation technologies to solve problems in industry and government. In 1989 Pritsker Corp. was formed from the merger of Pritsker & Associates and FACTROL.

Writer: Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu