Torch Bearer

Sharing the Olympic Experience

As millions watched the Olympic torch make its route around the globe, Harry Shum (CS '96) was preparing for his role carrying the flame through Lhasa, Tibet — one of the relay's most anticipated and publicized locations.

"The torch is well designed and not heavy at all. It was easy to carry and run," said Shum, who is now corporate vice president at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. The School of Computer Science alum previously oversaw the research activities at Microsoft Research Asia in Beijing.

"I learned how to do research right at Carnegie Mellon," he said. "I got to know so many incredible people there. Many of them are now in Microsoft as well."

Shum is responsible for the company's search product development team. He said he hopes to make an impact through "the magic of software" they create and through educating a new generation of students.

Shum explained, "The most fascinating problem nowadays in computer science is the transformation of an unstructured world, for example, the web, to a structured world that we humans can understand, such as a database. This is what I'm working on."

Shum calls his alma mater a "fabulous family" and is a proponent of giving back to the community.

"I truly believe we should do more to give back to our communities including the university where we learned a lot and grew up," he said. "I am glad to see more alumni — including many colleagues of mine in Microsoft — contribute more to Carnegie Mellon."

He added, "You may see many good examples in the new Gates Hillman Complex."

Other Tartans got into the Olympic spirit as well. Kai-Fu Lee (CS '88) carried the 2008 Olympic torch through Shanghai. Robin Luo, a 2007 graduate of Carnegie Mellon's School of Design, carried it through San Francisco.

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