|
Richard Granger Jr., a professor at the University of California, Irvine, in
both the computer science and the cognitive science departments, has been named
the first director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science at
Dartmouth. Granger will bring more than 25 years of experience in the highly
interdisciplinary field of computational science to the institute. He will
assume his new post on July 1, 2006.
The Neukom Institute was established in 2004 through a $22 million
commitment by William H.
Neukom '64, chair of the Board of Trustees, continuing
the College's legacy of leadership in computing, in both application and
theory. The institute's director serves as the William H. Neukom Distinguished
Professor in Computational Science, and Granger will also have a faculty
appointment in the psychological and
brain sciences department.
As the director of UC Irvine's Brain Engineering Laboratory and a leading
authority on computational analysis and cognitive neuroscience, especially as
it applies to brain circuitry, Granger has extensive experience in
cross-disciplinary interactions and interdisciplinary teaching and research. He
has published numerous studies that focus on neurobiological mechanisms and
pharmacological advances. Granger's basic research has led to a series of
patents and products, including developing computational methods used in
concert with electroencephalographic data to aid clinicians in early detection
of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's. He has received recent research funding
from the Office of Naval Research and the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency, and he is a cofounder and consultant to a number of technology
corporations and government agencies.
"Dartmouth's proud history of combining computing innovation and a
commitment to undergraduate liberal arts education is embodied in the Neukom
Institute," President James
Wright says. "Professor Granger is joining Dartmouth at an exciting
time as demand from our students interested in computer science continues to
rise in response to the global importance of computing in society."
"This is a time of tremendous excitement and challenging opportunity; a
time of groundbreaking interdisciplinary understanding across disparate fields,
from brain sciences to earth sciences, from the arts to engineering, from
economics to nanotechnology—all of which are becoming understood
computationally," says Granger. "The Neukom Institute at Dartmouth
establishes a new world-class institute at a world-class institution, whose
faculty, students, and facilities afford an unmatchable environment for
innovation, learning, and progress. I look forward to rich collaborations with
students and faculty throughout the arts and sciences, and to participating in
and contributing to the grand and enduring tradition of Dartmouth
College."
"Professor Granger is joining Dartmouth at an exciting time as demand
from our students interested in computer science continues to rise in response
to the global importance of computing in society."
- President James Wright
|
The mission of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science is four-fold:
to strengthen and broaden interdisciplinary and collaborative research between
computer science and other disciplines; to leverage cutting-edge research to
develop new ways to study, interpret, and apply complex information; to
educate, through research, future generations of interdisciplinary researchers;
to provide leadership and inspiration in the development of new curricular,
mentoring, and collaborative learning opportunities.
The institute will include several faculty positions, in computer science
and in additional departments, to foster breadth in backgrounds and approaches
and to ensure exposure to computational science across the campus. It will also
provide a range of research opportunities and fellowships to undergraduates,
graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, as well as an annual symposium on
computational science.
Carol Folt, dean of the faculty of
arts and sciences and a professor of biological sciences, says,
"I look forward to Professor Granger's arrival at Dartmouth. Under his
leadership, I'm sure that the Neukom Institute will fast become vital to our
academic mission by making computational science widely accessible to students,
while also enhancing the quality of our faculty's work in a range of fields
where computational approaches are ripe for development and promise significant
advances."
"My hope is that the Institute can both enhance the learning experience
and contribute to critical research in the arts and sciences," says
Neukom. "With Professor Granger's help, I'm sure that Dartmouth will
continue to have a leading role in pushing the frontiers of computation."
Neukom is chair of the Seattle law firm Preston Gates & Ellis and former
executive vice president of law and corporate affairs at Microsoft
Corporation.
Dartmouth's history in computer
science began in the late 1940s, when the College demonstrated the first
remote access to a digital computer. In 1955, mathematician John McCarthy, then
at Dartmouth, coined the term "artificial intelligence" and hosted a
two-month summer conference on the subject in 1956 (see related
story). In 1964, mathematicians John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz developed the
time-sharing prototype and the popular and widely used computer language
BASIC.
More recently, Dartmouth has deployed one of the nation's leading campus
network infrastructures. In 2001, Dartmouth was the first Ivy League
institution to have a 100 percent wireless campus, and Dartmouth's Class of
2009 will be the first generation of Dartmouth students to experience a totally
"converged" campus environment that enjoys Internet (both wired and
wireless), cable television (DarTV), and phone service (VoIP), all courtesy of
the Dartmouth computer network.
By SUSAN KNAPP
|
RSS/XML Feed