The Department of Systems Design Engineering is saddened to announce the passing of Professor Kish Hahn on April 30, 2022, at the age of 90.
Professor Hahn’s impact on the SYDE department cannot be overstated. During his tenure, the SYDE program directed its own admissions process. He saw talent and potential in students that demonstrated their abilities through accomplishments other than required high school grades. He advocated for their admission and enjoyed mentoring them to success. Students appreciated his dynamic teaching methods, noting “he could motivate a rock”. His enthusiasm changed the career trajectory of countless SYDE alumni and inspired many current faculty to pursue the fields of human factors and ergonomics. In recognition of his dedication to teaching and learning, Professor Hahn received the Centre for Teaching Excellence’s Distinguished Teacher Award in 1992.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Professor Hahn’s family, especially his daughters Michele and Francoise. Share online condolences and memories of Professor Hahn on the memorial website.
Recollections from colleagues and alumni
Glen Bandiera
(BASc
'90)
Professor
of
Medicine, Temerty
Faculty
of
Medicine,
University
of
Toronto
Executive
Director,
Specialty
Education, Royal
College
of
Physicians
and
Surgeons
of
Canada
I have such fond memories of Professor Hahn, his energy fuels me today.
John
Cheuck
(BASc
'90)
Managing
Director,
General
Partner, Ant
Global
Partners
(HK)
Limited
In late March 1985, I got a surprise phone call from Kish Hahn to discuss my application to Systems Design Engineering.
He told me that Waterloo did not know anything about my Vancouver high school, only ever considered 2-3 Grade 12 students from British Columbia (never accepted any) and that compared to Ontario applicants I was lacking a Grade 13 year and missing Calculus completely.
Despite the slightly harsh startup, he seemed to be sincerely interested in me, and we talked about my interests, future plans and extracurriculars. I told him that I had just been accepted to the Shad Valley program for my Grade 12 summer and was looking forward to attending on Waterloo campus that coming July.
I thought this was the nicest rejection call I had ever received but then Kish asked if he could call on some of my teachers as references. Later I learned that he personally called my Math, Physics, Chem teachers and even my Grade 12 counsellor.
After being on pins and needles for like 3+ months, I get another call from Kish in June.
The conversation went like this:
Hi John, this is Kish Hahn. I am here with a good friend of mine, Derek Lane Smith, he is the founder of Shad Valley. We have been talking about you and don't think you should be attending Shad Valley this summer .....
(What?? My heart skips a few beats as I stop breathing ... and then I hear...)
I would like to make you a conditional offer to study Systems Design Engineering with us in the fall but you would have to take and finish a course in introductory Calculus this summer. You will probably not be able to attend Shad Valley if you accept this offer. Derek comes on the line to endorse the SYDE program and that spending 3 months to complete a whole Calculus 1 course would be the best thing to do.
Kish: So John, what do you say?
I say "yes", signed up for correspondence Calculus, and have always remembered that great chance that Kish gave me.
Kish Hahn's endless positivity, goodwill, and ability to see and believe in the best in people has definitely been a guiding force in my life and career.
On behalf of all the high school and SYDE students that Kish believed in and championed, thank you!
May you rest in peace knowing that we are all making a difference, thanks to you!
Peter
Kuttenkeuler
(BASc
'90)
Owner/Principal, Gemba
Associates,
Inc.
After
Grade
13,
I
enrolled
at
Brock
University for
computer
science
because
I
barely
knew
how
to
turn
a
computer
on.
After
two unhappy
years
there,
I
applied
to
transfer
to
the
University
of
Waterloo. Any
kind
of
advance
standing
was
quickly
denied. I
formally
applied
to
Waterloo's Systems
Design
Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering
and
Physics,
prepared
to
start
over.
After
I
received
my
“we
sincerely
regret”
letter
from
SYDE,
I
made
an
appointment
to
see
the Admission
Officer: Kish
Hahn,
of
course. He
initially
defended
the
decision
to
deny
me
admission
but
I
wore
him
down. He
granted
me
conditional
acceptance
if
I
took
a
Waterloo Correspondence
Course
in
algebra
and
earn
a
final
mark
of
85%. I
received
a
package
of
cassette
tapes
and
a
workbook
and
sweated
out
the
recorded
lectures
over
the
summer
of
‘85,
mailing
in
assignments
every
2
weeks. In
late
August
I
nervously
wrote
the
final
exam,
got
95%
and
crossed
the
threshold
into
the
SYDE
class
of
1990.
I
was
over
the
moon.
Everyone
will
likely
remember
Kish
as
an
overly
exuberant
proponent
for
Systems
Design
Engineering,
bounding
into
our
classroom
like
Tigger.
For
me,
Kish
Hahn
was
a
passionate
gatekeeper
for
Systems
Design
Engineering.
In
my
life’s
journey,
he
represents
a
key
fork
in
the
road.
He
gave
me
a
chance. I’ll
never
forget
him.
Tom
Lee
(BASc
'88,
MASc
'90)
Walter
G.
Booth
Chair
for
Engineering
Entrepreneurship
and
Innovation,
McMaster
University
I am profoundly grateful for Professor Hahn's pioneering work in helping to build the Systems Design Engineering program. At a time when engineering was speeding towards an age of hyperspecialization, he and a handful of visionaries dared to teach us the values, merits, and necessity of interdisciplinary systems thinking and placing the needs of people directly into the design loop. As my career developed through the decades, I was oblivious to the lasting impact that Prof. Hahn, his colleagues, and the department had had on the way I perceived the world. But today, I am a faculty member at a prominent university and I find strong echoes of his words in my dealings with students and colleagues and I am heartened by the warm responses that I have been getting. I find it ironic that these ideas are considered fresh and innovative but I know better. Thanks so much Kish.
Grant
Parks
(BASc
'90)
Managing
Consultant,
IBM
Professor Hahn proved to me that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. I was an out-of-province student and my high school average was definitely lower than the class average coming in. He admitted me and gave me a chance. I will never forget that. He enthusiastically supported a project I started with two classmates, picking up the phone to get us information and driving us to Barrie to meet with a company. Professor Hahn was always positive, even when we got a flat tire on the way home he declared, "What great fun!". Over the years we became friends and he spoke at my wedding. Goodbye Kish!
Linda
Traykovski
(BASc
'90)
Post-Doctoral
Investigator, Woods
Hole
Oceanographic
Institution
I am so sorry to hear that Kish Hahn is gone - he was formidable, truly a paragon that we all strove to emulate. His boundless enthusiasm was infectious, and his unrelentingly positive outlook could move mountains! To me, he represented the heart and soul of Systems Design Engineering, and I am deeply grateful for the chance I had to learn from him in the company of this amazing class that, thanks to him, I was lucky enough to be a part of!
James
Wei
(BASc
'90)
Founder
and
CEO, Worldview
Technology
Partners
I am forever indebted to Professor Hahn. I didn’t get into Systems Design Engineering on the first try as my high school grades weren’t good enough. I had spent all of my efforts in high school building a solar cell from scratch and ended up with below-average grades for the typical SYDE applicant. Professor Hahn took a second look, and let me in. That changed the course of my career, and my life.
Recollections have been edited for clarity.