An American computer scientist, he is one of the founders of the Computer Graphics industry. He has spent his life expanding industry knowledge and using that same technology to educate others. His career spans the invention of environment mapping (1976), bump mapping (1978), the critical JPL NASA flyby animations, multiple SIGGRAPH papers, awards, books and several TV shows. He first became widely known for his work as a computer graphics expert at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), particularly his work on the pre-encounter animations for the Voyager project, his work on the Carl Sagan Cosmos documentary series and the research of the Blinn–Phong shading model.
