Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:17:03 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Prof.Varshney invite you to Donut Hr

Hi All,

Prof. Amitabh Varshney would be hosting today's Donut Hour.
His donutview below is very interesting to read and I encourage you
to go through it.

Also, today's donut hour is in honor of the faculty candidate from Columbia
Univ. Shimei Pan.  So, you will have the opportunity to chat with her while
having donuts.

sincerely,
Donut Admin
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    Looking through the donut:  A Donutview with Prof. Amitabh Varshney
    ===================================================================

Donut Admin (DA): Please tell us a brief history of yours.
Prof. Amitabh Varshney (AV): I grew up in a small university town,
    Roorkee, in India. On a clear summer morning one could see a couple of 
    golden pixels of sun shining off of the Himalayan peaks in the 
    distance. For my undergraduate studies I decided to go to IIT Delhi. 
    Then in Fall 1989 I began my PhD studies at UNC Chapel Hill. I joined 
    Stony Brook in Fall 1994. It has been a great six years here.

DA: Briefly tell us about your research interests.
AV: I am interested in how graphics can be used in various 
    application areas, such as mechanical and molecular CAD. I am also
    interested in graphics acceleration algorithms.

DA: How do you imagine Computer Graphics to be 50 years from now?
AV: It has always been hard to visualize, especially the future ...
    One thing for certain is that 3D graphics would be ubiquitous and
    a part of our everyday lives. 

DA: What would you have been if you were not in a technical field like CS?
AV: I would probably still have been a teacher and/or researcher in either
    mathematics, economics, or world history. 

DA: What do you do when you get free time?  What are your hobbies and         
        interests other than computer science?  Your likes/dislikes?
AV: I like to read in my spare time. Some of my favorite areas have been
    reading about how social and economic trends have influenced world
    history; about common factors that have been important in the rise and
    fall of the world's major economic and political empires; about major
    world religions and philosophies; and of course, pop physics. There was
    a time when I used to play badminton, cricket, and soccer a lot, but
    those days are slowly slipping by. 

DA: Amoung the places you visited, what would you recommend the most for
        tourism?  And how is it?
AV: I have always liked nature. Thus far, the places I found to be the most
    beautiful are (in no particular order): (a) the Alpine region bordering 
    Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, (b) the Monterey-bay area in
    California, (c) the Himalayan hills of Himachal Pradesh in India.
    Each of them is beautiful in its own way.

DA: Please introduce us to your wife.  How did you meet her?
AV: Poonam is a hardware computer engineer. Our first meeting was arranged 
    by our parents. Six months and several emails and phone calls later we
    got married.

DA: Last question.  What is your favourite food?
AV: Living close to NYC has been particularly helpful in exploring various
    cuisines. I have enjoyed Mexican, Middle-Eastern, and Ethiopian a lot.
    Indian food is always nice. I also like spicy Chinese and Thai dishes.

DA: Thank you.