Student’s work recognized by Menlo Park research institute

Apple introduced the computer mouse to the masses in 1984 with the introduction of the Macintosh computer, but the invention was first demonstrated nearly 20 years earlier at a conference in San Francisco by its inventor, Dr. Douglas Engelbart. His presentation — which also introduced such features as hyperlinks, e-mail and video conferencing — has come to be known as “the Mother of All Demos.”

Today, the Doug Engelbart Institute (DEI) continues to bring together researchers “to explore how we can dramatically boost our ability to solve complex, urgent problems on a global scale collectively.” Baylor sophomore Philip Heinrich, a University Scholar from Kansas, was recently recognized by the DEI for a project he put together as a freshman last spring on Engelbart’s famous presentation for a class at Baylor.

Heinrich took audio from the speech and created animated video to match, using the video to briefly demonstrate the progress of computer screen interfaces since 1968 and to emphasize not just the technology presented but also Engelbart’s vision of collaborative progress through technology. The DEI was impressed enough to feature Heinrich’s work on their website this summer, even creating a new section of the site to feature student works in line with the institute’s mission.

Sic ’em, Philip!