Memorial tribute to Dr. Michael Conrad

We lost a dear friend and colleague on December 28, 2000, when Professor Michael Conrad passed away after a battle with lymphoma. Michael was truly a giant in the field of evolutionary computation, a pioneer who endeavored to push the limits of our knowledge of biological information processing in all its forms. His contributions to evolutionary computation include the first known simulation of a hierarchical and potentially open-ended ecosystem [1], [2], one of the earliest efforts to formalize an evolutionary model of brain behavior [3], the first modern effort to use an evolutionary algorithm to optimize a neural network [4], as well as many innovative and provocative ideas concerning information-theoretic descriptions of evolution [5] and the evolution of evolvability in coevolutionary systems [6]–[10]. The careful reader will note that the references listed here predate 1986—a clear indication of Michael’s prescience. Michael’s greatest contribution to our field, however, was not any of these technical achievements, but rather his engaging personality and enthusiasm, which he evidenced so clearly. It was impossible to spend time with Michael and not enjoin his joy for science and, more particularly, for work in biological information processing. Even while fighting his illness, Michael was incredibly active. Michael was currently working on models of DNA-based quantum computing as part of a National Science Foundation Grant [11]. In the past five years, Michael supervised two M.S. theses and two Ph.D. dissertations and was supervising six Ph.D. students at the time of his death. In addition, he was on the committees of seven Ph.D. and ten M.S. students. His courses in adaptability and modeling at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, were attended by large numbers of students, with his most recent class having over 80 registered students. His classes were uniformly well received; as one student wrote in evaluation: “Dr. Conrad doesn’t just dispense facts, but gives