Elaine Cohen

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Elaine Cohen is an American researcher in geometric modeling and computer graphics, known for her pioneering research on B-splines. [1] She is a professor in the school of computing at the University of Utah. [2]

Contents

Education and career

Cohen graduated from Vassar College in 1968, with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. She went to Syracuse University for graduate study in mathematics, earning a master's degree in 1970 and completing her doctorate in 1974. [3] Her dissertation, On the Degree of Approximation of a Function by Partial Sums of its Fourier Series, concerned approximation theory, and was supervised by Daniel Waterman. [4]

At the University of Utah, Cohen became the first woman to gain tenure at the School of Engineering. [5]

Contributions

With Richard F. Riesenfeld and Gershon Elber, Cohen is the author of the book Geometric Modeling with Splines: An Introduction (AK Peters, 2001). [6]

She has also contributed to the development of the Utah teapot, improving it from a two-dimensional surface with no thickness to a bona-fide three-dimensional object. [7]

Recognition

In 2005, the YWCA of Salt Lake City gave Cohen their Outstanding Achievement Award. [5] In 2009, Cohen and Riesenfeld were awarded the Pierre Bézier Award of the Solid Modeling Association for their work on B-splines in computer aided geometric design. [1]

Related Research Articles

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A Bézier curve is a parametric curve used in computer graphics and related fields. A set of discrete "control points" defines a smooth, continuous curve by means of a formula. Usually the curve is intended to approximate a real-world shape that otherwise has no mathematical representation or whose representation is unknown or too complicated. The Bézier curve is named after French engineer Pierre Bézier (1910–1999), who used it in the 1960s for designing curves for the bodywork of Renault cars. Other uses include the design of computer fonts and animation. Bézier curves can be combined to form a Bézier spline, or generalized to higher dimensions to form Bézier surfaces. The Bézier triangle is a special case of the latter.

Pierre Étienne Bézier was a French engineer and one of the founders of the fields of solid, geometric and physical modelling as well as in the field of representing curves, especially in computer-aided design and manufacturing systems. As an engineer at Renault, he became a leader in the transformation of design and manufacturing, through mathematics and computing tools, into computer-aided design and three-dimensional modeling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Composite Bézier curve</span> Geometric shape

In geometric modelling and in computer graphics, a composite Bézier curve or Bézier spline is a spline made out of Bézier curves that is at least continuous. In other words, a composite Bézier curve is a series of Bézier curves joined end to end where the last point of one curve coincides with the starting point of the next curve. Depending on the application, additional smoothness requirements may be added.

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In vector computer graphics, CAD systems, and geographic information systems, geometric primitive is the simplest geometric shape that the system can handle. Sometimes the subroutines that draw the corresponding objects are called "geometric primitives" as well. The most "primitive" primitives are point and straight line segment, which were all that early vector graphics systems had.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah teapot</span> Computer graphics 3D reference and test model

The Utah teapot, or the Newell teapot, is one of the standard reference test models in 3D modeling and an in-joke within the computer graphics community. It is a mathematical model of an ordinary Melitta-brand teapot designed by Lieselotte Kantner that appears solid with a nearly rotationally symmetrical body. Using a teapot model is considered the 3D equivalent of a "Hello, World!" program, a way to create an easy 3D scene with a somewhat complex model acting as the basic geometry for a scene with a light setup. Some programming libraries, such as the OpenGL Utility Toolkit, even have functions dedicated to drawing teapots.

Bézier surfaces are a species of mathematical spline used in computer graphics, computer-aided design, and finite element modeling. As with Bézier curves, a Bézier surface is defined by a set of control points. Similar to interpolation in many respects, a key difference is that the surface does not, in general, pass through the central control points; rather, it is "stretched" toward them as though each were an attractive force. They are visually intuitive and, for many applications, mathematically convenient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-uniform rational B-spline</span> Method of representing curves and surfaces in computer graphics

Non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) is a mathematical model using basis splines (B-splines) that is commonly used in computer graphics for representing curves and surfaces. It offers great flexibility and precision for handling both analytic and modeled shapes. It is a type of curve modeling, as opposed to polygonal modeling or digital sculpting. NURBS curves are commonly used in computer-aided design (CAD), manufacturing (CAM), and engineering (CAE). They are part of numerous industry-wide standards, such as IGES, STEP, ACIS, and PHIGS. Tools for creating and editing NURBS surfaces are found in various 3D graphics, rendering, and animation software packages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spline (mathematics)</span> Mathematical function defined piecewise by polynomials

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeform surface modelling</span> Techniques for creating complex surfaces in 3D graphics software

Freeform surface modelling is a technique for engineering freeform surfaces with a CAD or CAID system.

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References

  1. 1 2 Richard Riesenfeld and Elaine Cohen, the 2009 Pierre Bézier Award Recipients, Solid Modeling Association, retrieved 2018-10-27
  2. "Elaine Cohen", Faculty profile, University of Utah, retrieved 2018-10-27
  3. Education, University of Utah, retrieved 2018-10-27
  4. Elaine Cohen at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
  5. 1 2 "YWCA to honor 6 Utah women: Award recipients are hailed for excellence, beating challenges", Deseret News , September 11, 2005, archived from the original on October 28, 2018
  6. Reviews of Geometric Modeling with Splines:
  7. Piper, Matthew (December 5, 2016), "Whatever happened to ... the ubiquitous digital 'Utah teapot'?", Salt Lake Tribune