I am pleased to announce the establishment of the Computation Institute of the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory. Its goal is to enhance the University's and Argonne's intellectual efforts in advanced computation and its applications. Plans call for activity across the physical, biological, and social sciences, as well as humanities and the arts.
Further plans involve analyzing the economic, social, and cultural impact of information technology.
At the University, the CI will provide an intellectual home for multi-disciplinary computation. It should aid in the development of educational programs and research opportunities for students at all levels. Its presence and activity should also aid in the recruitment of faculty in diverse areas whose research involves computational simulation, modeling, or massive data analysis. Ridgway Scott, Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics, and Rick Stevens, Director of Mathematics and Computer Science at Argonne and Professor of Computer Science at the University, have been appointed as the initial co-Directors of the Computation Institute. Other initial appointments to the CI from among University and Argonne researchers will be made over the next six months.