tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83036707660073822412024-03-22T00:22:06.447-07:00Sam Roweis 1972 - 2010maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-30114849824321873922011-02-01T12:05:00.000-08:002011-02-01T12:06:31.878-08:00from Steve Van HooserAs an undergrad, I looked up to so many graduate students in the Computation and Neural Systems department and wanted to be just like them. They taught me a ton about the brain and math and how to do research. Every now and again I look on Google to see what my heros are up to...today I was curious about Sam and unfortunately Google brings me sad news. I remember his enthusiasm, his feedback maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-19675072096887958932010-11-02T01:07:00.000-07:002010-11-02T01:09:09.515-07:00from Craig Boutilierp { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The following post is based on some reminiscences I shared during a memorial event held at the University of Toronto on January 22, 2010, and is recreated from my speaking notes. It’s been too easy to be “unable” to summon the energy/courage/right frame of mind to put these remarks in the form of a post, leading to many months of delay. - ceb I’d like to say a few maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-80596108342000736332010-07-27T04:44:00.000-07:002010-07-27T04:57:06.146-07:00from one who knew him through his workDear Roweis family, friends, and colleagues,The breadth and spread of Sam Roweis' scientific legacy are just at their beginning. There are many people like myself out there who have just started to know him through his immense scientific work. As a newcomer to the field of dimensionality reduction, I eagerly read Sam’s paper on sensible PCA a couple of years ago and listed him, Zoubin Ghahramani,Jennifer F Lindenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792414954583010264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-57714832296758947992010-04-15T11:52:00.000-07:002010-04-15T11:56:41.793-07:00from Liz BoerThe last two times I saw Sam were, I believe, very important moments in his life. Sam and Meredith came to our house in May, 2008. Sam had told me nothing beforehand by email, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see the characteristic shape of Meredith's tummy which could only mean one thing! “We're pregnant” as Sam liked to say, “with identical twin girls” added Meredith. From those maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-62142695268206089742010-04-10T16:39:00.000-07:002010-04-10T16:44:40.072-07:00from Li ChangSam went on to do many great things, in research, engineering, California, London, Toronto, New York, Google. But for me, Sam was my old schoolmate from university. Sam was one of the University of Toronto Engineering Science class of 9T4. Sam was also a member of the New College residence, where I met him. Sam was in engineering science, and I was in computer engineering, so we didn't share Jennifer F Lindenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792414954583010264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-60647636323634871402010-04-06T06:04:00.000-07:002010-04-06T06:20:15.338-07:00from Amy MaTo the family of Sam Roweis, you have my sincerest condolences. Please be gentle with yourselves as you heal this loss and grieve and mourn the fact that we are all bereft of a wonderful person.I was a fellow Shad-ite in exactly the same program as Sam (Waterloo 1989). I was shocked and saddened to learn of his unexpected passing through the Shad Valley website.I have wonderful memories of Sam Jennifer F Lindenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792414954583010264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-75192271073849679972010-02-07T23:09:00.000-08:002010-03-24T13:31:18.825-07:00from Haris JabbarI am an avid listener of Professor Roweis' lectures posted on videolectures.net. It is such a good experience listening to him and watching his effortless style to explain stuff in such an interesting manner. It was one such lecture that I was watching about half an hour back that prompted me to write to him and congratulate him on his wonderful lecture. When I googled "Sam Toronto" as he had so Jennifer F Lindenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792414954583010264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-49599294739481652262010-02-05T11:39:00.000-08:002010-02-05T14:01:30.398-08:00from the NYU obituaryThis obituary was written for the NYU webpages. The version that appeared there was modified.Sam Roweis (1972-2010)Scientist and EngineerThe Department of Computer Science, the Courant Institute, and New York University mourn the untimely death of Professor Sam T. Roweis, who took his own life on January 12, 2010. Sam was a brilliant scientist and engineer whose work deeply influenced the fieldsmaneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-56774505124200543432010-02-05T11:33:00.000-08:002010-02-05T11:34:05.354-08:00from Sarah ElsonLike so many others, I was deeply saddened to hear of Sam’s passing. I had known Meredith a little before she and Sam moved to San Francisco, and was lucky to become friends with them while they were in the Bay Area. Spending time with the two of them was always uplifting. I knew Sam as a delightful, warm, caring, and energetic friend. He was the kind of person who asked questions and listenedmaneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-20211227606091595152010-02-03T06:58:00.001-08:002010-02-03T07:00:00.857-08:00from David KargerI only shared time with Sam on a few occasions but they generated wonderful memories. The first was during his job search---boy did I want to hire him at MIT! I was so impressed by his work and the tremendous clarity with which he presented it to people outside his area. We had occasional conversations later, but my singular memory is of day during his time at MIT, when we spent a few hours maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-31692691941206970252010-02-01T23:35:00.000-08:002010-02-01T23:36:22.518-08:00from Mark BedworthI met Sam a few times around the turn of the millennium. I particularly remember attending one of his lectures at UCL on HMMs and their generalisations; despite having worked with them myself for 15 years or more by then. I expected to learn nothing and attended just to say “hi”. How wrong I was! His enthusiasm for teaching and his joy of knowledge shone through the whole lecture and reminded me Erik Winfreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648033592777493814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-50550045587263816502010-01-31T11:37:00.000-08:002010-01-31T11:39:20.781-08:00from Chris WilliamsI am writing this shortly after the commemoration event for Sam held at the Gatsby on Jan 25th. It was very good to get together to remember him, and to hear stories of his personal as well as intellectual qualities.I remember Sam for his boundless energy, infectious enthusiasm, and generosity. One of my favourite memories of him is of several discussion sessions at the whiteboards in the tearoomErik Winfreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648033592777493814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-82002854319670107832010-01-31T05:42:00.000-08:002010-01-31T05:43:39.685-08:00from Yoshua BengioI've known Sam since he visited Bell Labs in the late 90's while doing his PhD. From these early interactions I had already been impressed by his intelligence, his warmth, and his outstanding ability to generously communicate and clarify ideas for others. Unsurprisingly, he quickly became a rising star in our field. He was one of the persons that made my trip to a meeting or conference maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-54999472396664647132010-01-25T16:18:00.001-08:002010-01-25T16:23:09.435-08:00from Rich ZemelI went to the memorial for Sam on Friday (Jan. 22nd) here at the University of Toronto. It was a very emotional and intense event, attended by ~200 people, mostly his friends and colleagues from the university, and his high school here in Toronto. In addition to Sam's father, and two long-time friends from his high-school days, some of Sam's closest friends in the computer science department Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-25717283064156204882010-01-23T19:06:00.000-08:002010-01-23T19:13:15.819-08:00from Marianne FaragSam was my cousin on my mother’s side. We were seven cousins: six boys and myself; Sam was the youngest by roughly 15 to 20 years. The age difference meant we did not grow up with Sam. A further limit to our contact with him was the fact that we were living in different parts of the globe when Sam was born and during the early years of his childhood. Several of those who have contributed to Erik Winfreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648033592777493814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-1863939815470272602010-01-21T09:02:00.000-08:002010-01-21T09:14:15.745-08:00from Yoram SingerDear Meredith, Aya, Orli, Shoukry, family, friends, and colleagues. Sam was a stupendous researcher and a remarkable scientist. I would like to focus on Sam the mensch, Sam the man, the spouse, the father, the son, the friend of many people, young and old, the lighthouse to an incredible number of colleagues.Meredith, Sam loved you with his entire huge heart, often calling you Mer with a sparkle Jennifer F Lindenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792414954583010264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-7552202440468246692010-01-21T01:59:00.000-08:002010-01-21T02:00:14.410-08:00from Simon OsinderoI've tried to write this several times now, but the words somehow never seem right nor do they quite live up to the memory of Sam. He was awesomely warm, generous, kind, funny, brilliant; he had a really rare and amazing energy about him. Interactions with Sam so often left me feeling inspired -- to do more and become better -- both as a scientist and on a personal level. I feel very fortunate maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-72773305769883719312010-01-20T09:50:00.000-08:002010-01-20T10:20:54.912-08:00from Laura GregoI have been trying to remember the first time I met Sam, and I think it must be when he and Aaron came roller skating past my front door just after they’d arrived at Caltech. They were on a mission either/both to map the topology of the graduate student apartment pathways and to make friends. Or maybe it was to find out where all the single women lived, they were pretty cagey about their maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-83142143029741899952010-01-20T04:07:00.001-08:002010-01-20T04:08:36.850-08:00from Abeer AlwanI am very saddened by Sam's death.I interacted with Sam a lot while he was a graduate student at CalTech and I was an Assistant Professor at UCLA. He was an 'honorary' member of my group, attending group meetings and classes, and was always in his lively, happy, and energetic mood. Everyone looked forward to his visits and provocative questions! He was an incredibly bright and kind person, and maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-2957381320156539562010-01-19T21:13:00.001-08:002010-01-19T23:52:37.259-08:00from David Pablo CohnDamn it, Sam - I still can't get used to the idea that I'm never going to run into you again, at the top of the stairs in B43. With that glint in your eyes and the smile that tells everyone that the universe has let you in on a beautiful cosmic joke, and you've just gotten the punchline.All of us - we know that smile, and the enthusiasm with which you shared that joy. Damn. I keep looking down Aaron Batistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395136777781652206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-89799468586454677922010-01-19T16:37:00.000-08:002010-01-19T16:38:18.047-08:00from Lawrence SaulI hardly know where to start. Sam was a wonderful colleague and a dear friend. I had the privilege to work closely with him over a period of several years. I am terrible with details: I cannot remember exactly where or when we met, or even how we started collaborating. We were never in the same department and rarely in the same time zone. Indeed, at the peak of our collaboration, we were Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-78620002592053695242010-01-19T13:59:00.000-08:002010-01-19T14:00:32.841-08:00from Brian SallansI met Sam in Toronto, and later knew him in London. A few memories: Sam explaining an algorithm using sandwiched, rotating overhead slides; Friendly teasing about my Canadian accent after a talk ("I'll tell you all a-boot it"); his incredible enthusiasm for everything that he did, professional and personal; telling a funny-yet-harrowing story about almost having his bike stolen while stopping to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-21212155159184802692010-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:002010-01-19T09:01:45.822-08:00from Naraindra PrashadI worked as the Financial Officer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto in 2001 when Sam Roweis joined the department. In that capacity, I would communicate with new faculty on a financial level (payroll, research grants etc.). I contacted Sam while he was still in London preparing for his move to Toronto. On the first few email exchange, my salutations to Sam was "maneeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551871125369783000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-16388523012994162862010-01-19T02:00:00.000-08:002010-01-19T02:03:44.977-08:00from Eero SimoncelliI knew Sam for many years as a central figure at NIPS, and had only just begun to know him as a collaborator and friend when he moved to NYU. Sam was a gem - as a thinker, as a colleague, and as a teacher. His first talk here, last September, was presented in a room overflowing with multi-disciplinary colleagues from departments throughout the university. Many of us sat on the floor, or stood Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8303670766007382241.post-8327922756165377572010-01-18T20:57:00.001-08:002010-01-18T20:57:20.755-08:00from Nathaniel DawI never really considered Sam a peer – more of a hero, to be honest. I suppose, in general, that that kind of undisguised admiration could get in the way of a friendship, but Sam treated it, like more or less everything else, with grace and tact.I first met Sam in '99; I was a new Ph.D. student in Pittsburgh but spending my summers at the recently launched Gatsby unit. Sam, as has been said here Erik Winfreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648033592777493814noreply@blogger.com0