Hanscom, David

After completing his PhD in Electrical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in 1970, Hanscom went to work at Sperry Univac (now Unisys), where he was involved in the design of communications processors and peripheral devices for 12 years. From 1982 to 2006, Hanscom was a professor and director of undergraduate studies in the School of Computing, and faculty advisor for the computer science and computer engineering programs. He was effective in recruiting top students to the computer science program through the High School Computing Institute and High School Programming Contest, which involve campus enrichment activities for high school juniors and seniors for five weeks during the summer. He has also advised scores of teaching assistants through his annual TA training workshop, and has served as a primary link between the school and its undergraduates by teaching many freshmen and sophomores in required classes. In 2002 Hanscom received the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Teaching Award, and has received the dean’s commendation for outstanding teaching five times. In 2006, Hanscom retired from the University of Utah. Off campus, Hanscom is a cross-country skiing enthusiast. He wrote Wasatch Tours, a three-volume guide to cross-country skiing in the Wasatch Mountains, and has organized cross-country ski races for about 15 years. He was assistant chief of timing for cross country and biathlon events in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Games. He and his wife, Mary, have been married 40 years and have two sons and two grandchildren.

David Hanscom was a professor and director of undergraduate studies in the School of Computing at the University of Utah. A cross-country ski enthusiast, he was co-author of Wasatch tours, a guide to cross-country skiing in the Wasatch Mountains, and was assistant chief of timing for cross-country and biathlon events in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Games.