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News Release

Last modified: Tuesday, December 20, 2005

IU computer science graduate creates informatics fellowship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 20, 2005

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A gift from an Indiana University alumnus will establish a fellowship to advance the research of graduate students at the IU School of Informatics.

The $25,000 Paul Purdom Fellowship in Informatics is made possible through the Chin-Cheng Wu Foundation for Peace and Humanity. Chin-Cheng Wu, who earned a master's in computer science in 1977, is founder and chairman of Acopia Networks.

The fellowship is made in honor of Paul W. Purdom Jr., Ph.D., professor and former chair of the IU Department of Computer Science. Purdom, who has been on the IU faculty since 1965, is an expert in algorithmic applications and computational biology.

"Professor Purdom taught me how to think pragmatically when it comes to problem-solving," says Wu. "To me, real life problems are never 100 percent simulated or modeled. Professor Purdom has always focused on research of algorithmic constraints that have profound impacts and results. To me, that is an absolutely essential step in putting theoretical discovery into practical uses."

The fellowship, whose first recipient will be selected in 2006, will be awarded annually to a graduate student in informatics or computer science, particularly to a person having an interest in research in algorithms and their application.

"Mr. Wu's generous gift will provide the means for deserving graduate students to further their education and research interests," says School of Informatics Dean J. Michael Dunn, Ph.D. "It is especially meaningful the fellowship was established by a person who values his IU education and understands how that experience can be shared to benefit future generations."

Informatics is an evolving field that studies and explains the impact of information technology, and develops new uses for it in areas such as health, sciences, the arts, education, business and industry. The IU Department of Computer Science joined the School of Informatics in mid-2005.

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About the Indiana University School of Informatics

The Indiana University School of Informatics offers a unique, interdisciplinary curriculum that focuses on developing specialized skills and knowledge of information technology. The School has a variety of undergraduate degrees and specialized master's and doctorate degrees in bioinformatics, chemical informatics, health informatics, human-computer interaction, laboratory informatics, new media and computer science. Each degree is an interdisciplinary endeavor that combines course work and field experiences from a traditional subject area or discipline with intensive study of information and technology. For more information, visit the School's Web sites:

www.informatics.indiana.edu
www.informatics.iupui.edu
www.informatics.iusb.edu

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