- DRAFT -

CONTACT:Geoffrey Fox at (850) 644-4587;
Dean Donald Foss at (850) 644-1083

By Jill Elish
October 2000

TOP COMPUTER SCIENTIST NAMED EPPES PROFESSOR
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Geoffrey Fox, internationally known for his research in
physics, computational science and distance learning, has joined the faculty
of Florida State University as a Francis Eppes Professor.
Fox, who comes to FSU from Syracuse University where he was director of the
Northeast Parallel Architecture Centers (Should be Center) ****
, is a professor in the computer
science department and FSU's new School of Computational Sciences and
Information Technology (CSIT).
The opportunity to help shape the direction of the interdisciplinary school,
which was established in the fall of 1999 to train students how to use high
performance computing to advance scientific research, is what attracted Fox
to FSU.
"I thought CSIT was an innovative idea, and we had a good chance of creating
something of national significance," he said, noting that he was impressed
by the university's plans to purchase one of the world's fastest
supercomputers and hire 30 faculty members to work in the school. "That
level of commitment is extremely unusual."
FSU College of Arts and Sciences Dean Donald J. Foss said the university
sought Fox because of his accomplishments in many areas.
"He is a terrific innovator who has major accomplishments in the areas of
physics, computer science and computational science," Foss said. "We are
delighted to have a scholar of his stature on campus."
The native of Scotland earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics and his
master's and doctorate in theoretical physics from Cambridge University in
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England, where he studied quantum mechanics under the Nobel Prize winner
Paul Dirac.
Fox has focused his academic career on blending the knowledge of
math and theoretical physics with the world of computer hardware and software.
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His current focus areas include advancing the use of high performance computing to
further earthquake research. He is also researching the use of hand-held computers
in collaborative environments used in research and education.
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"I have two arrows in my quiver: research and teaching. I try to use
technology to advance both," Fox said. "I saw how computers could help in my
research so I began to study computational science. Then I saw how the
Internet could help my teaching so I began to look at distance education."
As one of 11 planned Eppes professors, Fox joins the ranks of the
university's most eminent scholars. The professorships are named for Francis
Eppes, the grandson of President Thomas Jefferson and early mayor of
Tallahassee who played a vital role in convincing the Florida Legislature to
locate the Seminary West of the Suwannee, FSU's institutional predecessor,
in Tallahassee.
Jill Elish
Research/News Writer
Florida State University
Media Relations Office
114 Westcott Building
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1430
850-644-8345
FAX 850-644-9643