Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon
University when he delivered his last lecture, Really Achieving Your
Childhood Dreams. Pausch had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic
cancer when he took the stage and politely—though wittily—explained his
situation, then turned to what he had chosen for his real topic: not how
to die, but how to live a full life.

To name but one example, Pausch details bargaining with NASA so that he
can accompany his students into a zero gravity simulator, fulfilling his
childhood dream of experiencing weightlessness. Throughout the lecture,
his audience listens and laughs and even tears up, completely riveted
by his sense of humor and wisdom.

Randy Pausch passed away in July 2008, but his lecture lives on in the
form of a book, The Last Lecture. The book delves into the subject
matter Pausch didn’t cover in the lecture itself, including the decision
to speak despite his diagnosis, how he chose his topic, and the
incredible support offered him by his wife, Jai, his colleagues, and
others.

To view Randy Pausch’s last lecture, visit
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo. More information about the book is
available at www.thelastlecture.com.