EECS professor David Patterson has taught computer architecture at Berkeley since 1977. He led the design and implementation of RISC I, likely the first VLSI Reduced Instruction Set Computer. This research became the foundation of the SPARC architecture, currently used by Fujitsu, Sun Microsystems, and other firms.

Professor Minute: Interview with EECS professor David Patterson

What do you do to forget about engineering and/or work ?

Sports! I play soccer every Sunday with people a bit younger than me. I also lift weights, since strength doesn’t necessarily get worse with age.
Having grown up in a beach community, I also try to go to Santa Cruz frequently to body surf and walk along the beach with my wife (who was my high school sweetheart).

What is your personal recipe for success?

Work hard, play hard, and follow your heart.

What can a student do to get through your hardest class?

See answer to question number two.

Why did you become a professor?

My field has many interesting opportunities outside of academia, so this is a question many new Ph.D.s ask themselves. I found my answer in the book Working, by Studs Terkel, which contains frank assessments about how people feel about their jobs. Looking back on their careers, many researchers felt their now-antiquated technical achievements seemed shallow. On the other hand, retired teachers took pride in the success of their former students and believed they made a difference in their lives. Once I tried teaching I was hooked. Seeing the faces of
students brighten when they conquer difficult concepts and hearing applause at the end of the term are powerful narcotics, and they are difficult to resist. I have seen many former Berkeley students, doubtful about academic careers, give teaching a try and quickly become addicted. Although it seems like yesterday that I was making my decision, it’s been more than 25 years that I’ve been at Berkeley. Things have turned out like I hoped, and I know I made the right decision.

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