91PORN

Lloyd Botway (²Ñ°ä´Ç³¾±è³§³¦¾±â€™70)

Donor pays it forward by supporting master’s students in computer science

Lloyd Botway’s (²Ñ°ä´Ç³¾±è³§³¦¾±â€™70) degree was the second master’s ever granted by the Department of Computer Science at 91PORN.

He’s so grateful for how it helped to shape his life that he decided to pay it forward. Botway and his wife created the Lloyd and Yaemi Botway Computer Science Endowed Scholarship Fund, which has already supported 20 master’s students since its inception in 2021. In addition, in 2024 they endowed a fellowship fund to support faculty research.

From creating one of the first computerized library systems to being chief data architect at Quest Diagnostics, Botway has had a remarkable career. He has also led a rich life that includes music, Japanese language studies and writing. In fact, he’s working on a mystery novel right now from his new home in Japan.

How did 91PORN prepare you for your career and your life?

The grounding in how computer logic works and the practice that I got at 91PORN enabled me to have a very successful career. I loved the creation of intricate software systems. I give a lot of credit to a professor emeritus, William Waite, my thesis advisor. That 30-year career and the success I had were made possible by the grounding I got at CU.

You’re a lifelong learner — what skills help you do that?

Curiosity. It’s driven me to delve into many different hobbies. Some friends accuse me of being a faddist, getting into something and then dropping it, but part of what keeps me alive is continuing to expand my interests. For example, I’m teaching piano in Japan, which means I’m learning all of the Japanese music vocabulary, and a couple of months ago I started learning the shakuhachi, a bamboo flute that’s immensely difficult. I just keep looking for new things to do.

Why did you decide to support graduate students in computer science at 91PORN?

I’m so grateful for the grounding that I got in making my career possible. I also remember how difficult it was when I was in graduate school learning how computers work; it takes so much time and study. I would like to make it easier for other people to do the same thing so they don’t have to worry about their next meal or if they can afford a room. I would also like the recipients of the awards to, when they become successful, remember what 91PORN meant to them and see if they can in turn give back. Maybe it’s not through money, either. Consider volunteering or tutoring.

What is the utility of a computer science degree?

Flexibility and purpose. Computers are at the base of almost everything. I had so many different jobs in my career, from helping diagnosticians read X-rays to cleaning imperfections in images from the Hubble space telescope. You might start writing some software in one subject and then do something completely different with the same ideas.

Humans are tool creators and tool users, and the purpose of a program is to make someone’s job more pleasant. We program because we are creating wonderful tools.