Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Poster advertising Pausch's lecture

"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" (also called "The Last Lecture"[1]) was a lecture given by Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Randy Pausch on September 18, 2007,[2] that received widespread media coverage, and was the basis for The Last Lecture, a New York Times best-selling book co-authored with Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Zaslow.[3] Pausch had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2006. On September 19, 2006, Pausch underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy to remove the malignant tumor from his pancreas.[4] In August 2007, doctors discovered that the cancer had recurred. Pausch was given a terminal diagnosis and told to expect that three to six months of good health remained.[5]

The lecture was upbeat and humorous, alternating between wisecracks, insights on computer science and engineering education, advice on building multi-disciplinary collaborations, working together with other people, offering inspirational life lessons, and performing push-ups on stage. Pausch commented on the irony that the "Last Lecture" series had recently been renamed "Journeys": "I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it."[6] After Pausch finished his lecture, Steve Seabolt, on behalf of Electronic Arts, which was collaborating with CMU in the development of Alice 3.0,[7] pledged to honor Pausch by creating a memorial scholarship for women in computer science,[4] in recognition of Pausch's support and mentoring of women in CS and engineering.

Professor Pausch's "Last Lecture" has received attention and recognition both from American media and news sources worldwide.[8] The video of the speech became an internet sensation, viewed over a million times within its first month on social networking sites such as YouTube, Google video, MySpace, and Facebook.[9] Randy Pausch gave an abridged version of his speech on The Oprah Winfrey Show in October 2007.[10] On April 9, 2008, the ABC network aired an hour-long Diane Sawyer feature on Pausch entitled "The Last Lecture: A Love Story For Your Life".[11] Four days after his death from pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008, ABC aired a tribute to Pausch, remembering his life and his famous lecture.[12]

  1. ^ Bush, Kent (July 30, 2008). "Bush: Pausch's dying taught others how to live". The MetroWest Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  2. ^ "University Lecture Series: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". Carnegie Mellon University. September 18, 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  3. ^ "Hardcover Advice list". The New York Times. 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  4. ^ a b Roth, Mark (September 19, 2007). "CMU professor gives his last lesson on life". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  5. ^ Zaslow, Jeff (September 20, 2007). "A Beloved Professor Delivers The Lecture of a Lifetime". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  6. ^ Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press (July 25, 2008). "Prof whose 'last lecture' became a sensation dies," The Dallas Morning News
  7. ^ Watzman, Anne (March 10, 2006). "Carnegie Mellon Collaborates With EA to Revolutionize Computer Science Education". Carnegie Mellon Today. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  8. ^ Schmitz, Von Gregor Peter (2007-10-01). "Ein todkranker Professor rührt Amerika". Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  9. ^ Zaslow, Jeffrey (2007-09-27). "The Professor's Manifesto: What It Meant to Readers". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  10. ^ Randy Pausch reprising his "Last Lecture". Google Video. 2007-10-24.
  11. ^ Randy Pausch ABC Special about the "Last Lecture", April 2008. Google Video. 2008-04-11.
  12. ^ "ABC News: Randy Pausch, Author of 'The Last Lecture,' Dies at 47". ABC. Retrieved 2008-08-11.