Distinguished Educator Award
Established in August 2018, the Distinguished Educator Award is given annually to a member for outstanding pedagogical contributions to computer graphics and interactive techniques at any educational level or within the context of any discipline. The award recognizes contributions in both innovative content and delivery. The award is presented annually during the award ceremony at either the SIGGRAPH conference or the SIGGRAPH Asia conference at the choice of the recipient.
Current Recipient
ACM SIGGRAPH is pleased to present the 2025 Distinguished Educator Award to Glenn Goldman in recognition of the pioneering work and sustained innovation in introducing and integrating computer graphics and interactive techniques to architecture and design students and professionals for more than four decades.
Glenn Goldman, Director Emeritus and Professor of Architecture and Design at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), has been active in computer graphics and interactive techniques for more than 40 years. A registered architect, he earned a BA degree from Columbia and the M. Arch. degree from Harvard. Following teaching positions at Iowa State University and the Boston Architectural Center, he joined the faculty at NJIT in 1982.
With a record of innovation, Glenn Goldman was one of the first architects to recognize the potential of computer graphics and three-dimensional modeling for architectural education, and with a colleague at NJIT created fully electronic design studios with color pre-visualization making use of customized personal computers and an eclectic collection of software applications. He took a central role in the transformation of architectural design studios from analog to digital workflows, and his work and that of his students were published in both mainstream design press magazines like Architectural Record and Interiors, as well as in academic and professional conferences like ACADIA (the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture). After more than a decade of implementation and experimentation, he authored Architectural Graphics: Traditional and Digital Communication published by Prentice Hall, the first textbook for architectural communication incorporating computer graphics that served as a practical and transitional guide for educators and their students.
He authored or co-authored more than fifty articles that have appeared in journals, magazines, and/or presented at various conferences. From early use of animation and scripted walkthroughs and the integration of objective and non-objective sound in architectural proposals, to the use of building information modeling, image sampling, game engines, VR, and AI for architectural and interior design, he has consistently pushed the limits of technology in his classes and design studios exposing his students to processes not yet widely adopted, and preparing them for leadership positions in industry. His students have been winning design awards and getting their work published in magazines and books for almost as long as he’s been teaching.
In 2007, he started the School of Art + Design at NJIT and included in their offerings a generalized (and NASAD-accredited) Digital Design degree program that was based, in part, on the diverse subject matter typically found at a SIGGRAPH conference and one that emphasizes collaborative interdisciplinary work.
Glenn Goldman has been involved with the education community at SIGGRAPH for a long time. He was an early contributor to the annual curated Faculty Submitted Student Work exhibit which led to his involvement with the SIGGRAPH Education Committee, a group he has chaired since 2021. He was the Education Liaison for SIGGRAPH 2013 and Courses Chair for the 2015 conference. He developed the industry/academy panel that has become a staple of the Educators Forum and chaired the first four iterations of the event. And he’s appeared on a variety of panels both in person and online – including the “Pioneers of CGI Education” that was part of the SIGGRAPH Pioneers of Computer Graphics series in 2023 and “Computer Graphics and Architectural Design” at SIGGRAPH in 1991.
Goldman has been a staunch advocate for underserved and first-generation college students, ensuring that new technology is a tool for opportunity. A recipient of both internal and external awards for his teaching, his former students have gone on to work in industry at places like NASA, Gensler, AECOM, Ware Malcomb, M Moser, ENV, NBC Universal, NFL Films, Chaos, Spring AI, PowerHouse VFX, Framestore, ETS, Verizon, Autodesk, Walt Disney Co., Sony Pictures Imageworks, Ford Motor Company, and more. Others have gone on to teach at universities including Harvard, Pratt, Temple, Clemson, RISD, and NJIT.
An individual who has embraced his roles as a mentor and leader, Glenn Goldman has influenced industry and academic practices in architecture and design, and has made a career in providing opportunities to students and educators alike.
Previous Recipients
- 2024 Mike Bailey
- 2023 Scott Owen
- 2022 Ed Angel
- 2021 Barbara Mones
- 2020 Donald P. (Don) Greenberg
- 2019 Andries van Dam
Contributions
Contributions considered for this award are broad.
- Computer graphics and interactive techniques
- Use of novel computer graphics in education
- Curriculum and delivery
- Student engagement
- Classroom teaching techniques
- Online courses
- Textbooks and demos
- Use of online content, such as blogs, videos or webinars
Criteria
- Impact on research and practice of education as it relates to computer graphics and interactive techniques (this may be direct within areas of computer graphics and interactive techniques, or it may be in another discipline impacted by the use of computer graphics and interactive techniques).
- Cumulative contributions to the field both directly and through leadership of others.
- Innovation in education.
- Influence on the work of others, and acceptance of educational techniques by the ACM SIGGRAPH community; educators who are making a difference as innovators or pioneers in their respective disciplines.
- Activity in the ACM SIGGRAPH educational community.
Nomination Procedure
Nominations for the Distinguished Educator Award may be submitted by contacting the Distinguished Educator Award Chair by January 31 each year. Self-nominations are allowed. Nominations may also arise from an archive of past nominations maintained by the awards chair and culled yearly by the committee. The awardee will be selected by the Distinguished Educator Award Committee based on nominations received from members of the SIGGRAPH community.
Requirements
- A one-page summary explaining how the nominee meets the criteria for the award.
- A statement of teaching philosophy from the nominee.
- A description of any teaching awards won and recognition internal and external to their home school or university for excellence in teaching, including accomplishments (awards, publications, exhibits, employment, etc.) of their students and/or advisees.
- A list of any teaching- and/or pedagogy-related publications, exhibits, and/or presentations.
- Letters from at least two people who are knowledgeable about the qualifications of the nominee, which may be submitted with the application package or sent directly to the committee. (Note: The nomination will be complete ONLY if the required letters are received by the deadline.)