About Debra Erdley

Debra Erdley 412-320-7996
Staff Reporter
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Newsmaker Frank Pfenning, 53, of Squirrel Hill new chairman of CMU department of computer science

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Noteworthy: Named chairman of Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science Department

Age: 53

Residence: Squirrel Hill

Family: Wife, Nancy, and three children

Background: Pfenning joined CMU as a research scientist after completing his doctorate. He became an associate professor in 1999 and full professor in 2002. He was instrumental in a recent update of CMU's introductory computer science curriculum. His research interests include the design of programming languages and logics for enhancing computer security.

Education: Studied mathematics and computer science at the Technical University Darmstadt in Germany; Master of Science in mathematics, CMU, 1981; doctorate in mathematics, CMU, 1986

Quote: “I'm not sure what the greatest challenge in providing our students with a solid grounding to move computer science forward is, but my top three are a lack of understanding of computer science among high school teachers, a still rapidly evolving field and a consequent lack of stability in teaching materials and programming languages.”

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