From my suitemate, Lauren, word that one of Yale’s most beloved and good-humored undergraduate professors, Bob Dunne, passed away this weekend.
His highly popular intro course on Computers and the Law and advanced seminar on Intellectual Property in the Digital Age, including the 10-page paper on Sealand that he advised me on, were some of my favorite academic wanderings in college.
Dunne was a master of the complex intersections of law and technology but conveyed his lessons with laughter, familiarity, and friendliness. He brought warmth and irony to an area of study that to most people is a pretty lifeless subject.
I kind of can’t believe the CS department will be continuing Computers and the Law in the same name. Feels so wrong — so much of the course was Dunne’s personality. He will be missed.