McCormick community member Lawrence J. Henschen died at age 78 on Jan. 8, the University announced Jan. 9.

Henschen was a professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering and authored more than 120 academic papers. He was also associate dean of students at NU’s The Graduate School from 2000 to 2009 and graduate director of the electrical engineering and computer science department for 12 years.

Henschen supervised 69 Ph.D. students and was awarded the McCormick TECH Teaching Award in 1983 and the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence award in 2004. He also won the faculty award for diversity from The Graduate School, which recognized his efforts to create an environment that values diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

“Larry was a dedicated faculty member with a warm heart, a sharp intellect, and a sly sense of humor,” said Randall Berry, John A. Dever chair of electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern Engineering, in a University press release.

Henschen’s expertise included web-based programming for wireless sensor network nodes and universal access in human-computer interaction. Prior to joining the McCormick School of Engineering in 1971, he was a research assistant at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Henschen also earned bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UIUC.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @kaavya_butaney

Related Stories:

— McCormick professor emeritus Herbert SuYuen Cheng dies at 92 

— Two Northwestern professors named National Academy of Inventors fellows 

— Search committee created to select McCormick dean replacement