Elaine Cohen, a Kahlert School of Computing emeritus faculty member passed away on October 19, 2025.
Elaine served 47 years as a faculty member, publishing seminal research in her field, collecting prestigious awards, co-founding a company, leading numerous committees for professional societies and government agencies, and striving to bring underrepresented groups into computer science.
Elaine was the first woman in the College of Engineering to get tenure in 1985. In 2021, she was honored as the first woman from the college to earn the top rank of distinguished professor.
Elaine’s work focused on modeling, graphics, and visualization problems that require geometric computation and analysis. She received her bachelor’s from Vassar College and her master’s and doctorate from Syracuse University, all in mathematics. She joined the University of Utah in 1974 as a research assistant professor, eventually rising to full professor in 1991. She earned numerous accolades for her work, including being named a Solid Modeling Association Fellow and Pioneer, and winning their top Bézier Award.
Elaine is survived by Richard Riesenfeld, her husband of 51 years, her daughters Samantha Riesenfeld (spouse Lorenzo Orecchia) and Rebecca Dannels (spouse Joseph Dannels), grandchildren Elia Orecchia, Ari Orecchia, Joaquin Dannels, and Kyle Dannels, “grand-dogs” (Elaine’s term) Zuma and Maggie, and a close, wonderfully supportive, extended family. Elaine was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Rosalind Meskin.
A memorial service will be held in December, details of which are forthcoming.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/millcreek-ut/elaine-cohen-12569480
