AccessComputing Mourns the Death of Richard Tapia

In late May, Richard Tapia, the namesake of the Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, passed away at the age of 88. The conference was named after Richard Tapia, who was a mathematician, a faculty member at Rice University, and a fierce advocate for broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Most years at the conference, CMD-IT (Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology) Founder Valerie Taylor would recall her conversation with Richard when he learned that the conference would be named after him. Richard asked Valerie, “Do you know something I don’t?” implying it would only be named after him if he were dying.

Over the last fifteen years, AccessComputing has sent numerous students to attend the Tapia Celebration to connect with mentors, peers, and professional development opportunities. In 2015, AccessComputing Founding PI, Richard Ladner was awarded Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science and Diversifying Computing at the Tapia Celebration. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to broadening participation in computer science.