Owen Astrachan is Professor of the Practice of Computer Science at Duke University and the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies for Teaching and Learning. He earned his AB degree with distinction in Mathematics from Dartmouth and MAT (Math), MS, and PhD (Computer Science) from Duke. He received an NSF CAREER award in 1997 to incorporate design patterns in undergraduate computer science curricula, an IBM Faculty Award in 2004 to support componentization in both software and curricula, and was one of two inaugural NSF CISE Distinguished Education Fellows in 2007 to revitalize computer science education using case- and problem-based learning. Professor Astrachan's research interests have been built on understanding how best to teach and learn about object-oriented programming, software design, and computer science in general; he is now working on developing a portfolio of substantial, interdisciplinary problems that help explain how computer science is relevant to students in the social and natural sciences. Professor Astrachan received Duke's 1995 Robert B. Cox Distinguished Teaching in Science Award, an Outstanding Instructor Award while teaching on sabbatical at the University of British Columbia in 1998, and Duke's 2002 Richard K. Lublin award for "ability to engender genuine intellectual excitement, ability to engender curiosity, knowledge of field and ability to communicate that knowledge."
Professor Astrachan has published extensively in areas related to teaching and learning about programming including a well-regarded textbook on C++. For fifteen years he helped develop and oversaw the grading of the Advanced Placement Computer Science Exam. He was twice a world-finalist in the ACM programming contest, has coached a Duke team to the world finals in thirteen of the past fourteen years, and received the ACM contest coaches award in 2003. Professor Astrachan received Duke's 1995 Robert B. Cox Distingished Teaching in Science Award, an Outstanding Instructor Award while teaching on sabbatical at the University of British Columbia in 1998, and Duke's 2002 Richard K. Lublin award for "ability to engender genuine intellectual excitement, ability to engender curiosity, knowledge of field and ability to communicate that knowledge."
He is married to Laura Heyneman, and has two children: Ethan (nine in June 2008) ) and Adam (six in March, 2008). In 2006, 2007, and 2008 he was one of the top 30 milers in the United States in the 50-55 age group.