William Isaac Miller, In Memoriam, 1985 - 2010

 

William Isaac Miller William Isaac Miller, a PhD student in Computer Science, died in an automobile accident on the morning of December 28, 2010, together with his mother. Bill was 25 years old. He graduated from UMB with Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics in Spring 2010. Bill had the highest GPA in the major for any undergraduate student graduating in Computer Science in the 2009/2010 academic year and he received the Computer Science Alumni/ae Award for Excellence in Software Engineering. In summer 2010, he worked on an NSF funded research project in Houston, Texas with Professor Wei Ding of our department and in Fall 2010, he began his PhD studies here under her direction.

Bill was a smart and dedicated scholar. He was very helpful to students in the department and was very popular with them. He was one of our best students and will be missed by his fellow students, his advisor and all of us in the Computer Science Department.

Another picture provided by Bill Miller's father.

 

William I Miller Award

 

The William I Miller Award for Academic Excellence is awarded annually to a graduating bachelor's degree student in Computer Science who has an outstanding academic record. William (Bill) Issac Miller was a PhD student in Computer Science who died in an automobile accident at the age of 25 the morning of December 28, 2010. Bill Miller was born on December 9, 1985 and grew up in San Diego. Bill Moved to the Boston area in 2004 and began his studies at UMB in 2006. Bill graduated with a BS in Spring 2010 with a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. Bill had the highest GPA in the major of any student graduating in Computer Science in the 2009/2010 academic year. He received The Computer Science Alumni/ae Award for Excellence in Software Engineering (this award has been renamed in his honor) in June 2010. He distinguished himself in his classes both for his programming and his theoretical ability. During the summer of 2010, Bill worked on an NSF-funded research project with Professor Wei Ding in Houston, TX and in the Fall 2010 semester, entered the PhD program with her as his advisor. Bill was also very active in creating a social circle here on campus. He founded the UMB CS Social group/email list and organized off campus social outings. Thanks to the anonymous generosity of our Computer Science Alumni, we are able to offer this award to a graduating senior who, like William Miller, best exemplifies the attributes required for success as a software engineer: academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, and professional dedication to completing tasks elegantly and on time.

 

William I Miller's Bench at the UMass Boston Campus

 

William Isaac Miller's benchHere is the direction to his bench (drawn by Henry Lo).