Member Profile: Bedrich Benes
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I am a professor of Computer Science at Purdue University and have been with the university since 2005. I research topics related to simulating and understanding natural phenomena, procedural modeling, and geometry.
2. What was your first job?
During my PhD, I worked part-time at a company specializing in special film effects in Prague. My first full-time work after earning my doctorate was as an assistant professor at Tec de Monterrey, a university in Mexico City, where I stayed for over six years.
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
MS and PhD at the Czech Technical University in Prague in Computer Science.
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
My first Siggraph was in Boston in 2006.
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
I bashfully approached several people whose names I knew from the backs of textbooks, and to my great surprise, I learned that they do not bite, are very pleasant, many of them have a great sense of humor, and they provide great advice. I learned most of what I know from my peers. The strong sense of community has been the most inspiring to me, and I feel it every time I attend Siggraph.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
My most recent work focuses on bridging the gap between computer graphics and biology, particularly in digital forestry and agronomy. We work on digital twins ranging from individual trees to (urban) forests, as well as individual plants to plant communities and ecosystems. I learned that many things we take for granted in Computer Graphics can be very useful in other disciplines, and that many aspects we think are well known are, in fact, open research problems elsewhere. Cross-disciplinary collaboration is a fascinating learning experience.
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
It is hard to pick one, but probably Karel Čapek, one of the best Czech writers ever, and a great humanist. If I could choose two, Carl Gustav Jung for his incredible insight into the human soul.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
I am an amateur astronomer. I have had several telescopes and a gallery of images of planets, galaxies, and nebulae. I know my images are blurred, and the colors are probably off, but I took them.
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
I learned most from my parents and from my wife.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Oliver Deussen, Marie-Paule Cani, and Holly Rushmeier are my great mentors. Przemek Prusinkiewicz has been a great example for his depth and understanding of the connection between biology and computing.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
The proudest moments are when PhD students defend their theses and leave for jobs, and when our mentees get promoted. I feel that this is one of the most important and fulfilling tasks we have in academia.