"Education in computing is as much about learning how to think critically about issues and how to solve problems as it is about how to create and use technology," said Hodges. "The technology is continually changing, but the problem-solving skills learned in computing classes can serve a student throughout life."

The School of Computing at Clemson was formed in 2007 as part of Engineering and Science Dean Esin Gulari's mission to prepare students for all aspects of computing and as part of a university-wide emphasis on information technology and high-performance computing to allow for rapid development of emerging, interdisciplinary research and academic programs.

"Larry Hodges, in the position of director of the School of Computing, brings to Clemson a tremendous vision," said Gulari. "The goals are to maintain a nationally competitive computer science division that is a leader in the definition and advancement of emerging academic fields in computing through the development of divisions that integrate computation with the arts, humanities, sciences and engineering."

The School of Computing initially will focus on three divisions: computer science, computational arts and human-centered computing.

"Human-centered computing is a new area in that it is concerned with understanding both how to make computational technologies more useable and how computational technologies affect society," said Hodges. "This new area will develop strong ties with existing programs on campus, such as industrial engineering; electrical and computer engineering; engineering and science education; CU-ICAR; and the disciplines that study human behavior, such as psychology and sociology."

According to Hodges, computational arts will leverage the interdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts program in digital production arts, which has successfully launched many Clemson graduates into animation careers.

Hodges has a record of helping build successful programs in computing and in collaborating with researchers from other disciplines and backgrounds. He was a founding member of the Graphics, Visualization and Usability (GVU) Center at Georgia Tech, where he and collaborator Barbara Rothbaum of Emory University developed virtual reality exposure therapy to help patients with anxiety disorders, such as a fear of heights, overcome their phobias.

"In computer science, it is unusual for people to write and say to you that your research has transformed their lives. The best part of this work has been the number of patients who have said virtual reality therapy changed their lives for the better," said Hodges.

Hodges received his PhD from North Carolina State University in 1988. His research in 1995 investigating the use of virtual reality in treating phobias garnered international attention. In 2006 he received the IEEE Virtual Reality Career Achievement Award for his contributions to clinical virtual reality.

In addition to his research work in clinical applications, Hodges has maintained an active research agenda in numerous other areas of virtual reality, visualization and 3D user interface design with more than 150 published papers. He has served as general chairman of both the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference and the ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology. He currently serves on the steering committee of the IEEE VR Conference and on the Editorial Board of IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

For more information about Clemson's graduate programs in computer science and digital production arts, please visit the following sites, respectively:
www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/CompSci/index.php
www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/DPA/index.php

The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship was created to encourage women to excel in computing and technology and become active role models and leaders. Scholarships are awarded based on the strength of candidates' academic background and demonstrated leadership. Wahba and Feaster both received a $10,000 scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year. Remaining finalists received $1,000 each.

"I didn't expect to get the scholarship because all those who received it from previous years were from the top 10 universities, and less than 10 percent of those who apply received it," said Wahba. "I was extremely happy when a representative from Google called me to inform me I received the scholarship. It was a great sense of satisfaction and I'm assured that I'm going in the right path in my career."

In order to receive the scholarship, applicants must fulfill the following requirements: be entering their senior year of undergraduate study or be enrolled in a graduate program in 2008-2009 at a university in the United States; major in computer science, computer engineering or a related technical field; be enrolled in full-time study in 2008-2009; and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.

"I feel extremely honored to have been selected for this scholarship. Anita Borg was a champion advocate for women in the science and technology field, and I commend Google for honoring her life work with these scholarships," Feaster said.

For more information about Clemson's graduate programs in computer science and computer engineering, please visit (respectively): www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/CompSci/index.php
www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/CompEng/index.php

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships are awarded annually in nearly all fields of graduate education. Each awardee is provided three years of financial support, including stipend and tuition. Each year, nearly 900 students are awarded fellowships out of the 10,000 who apply. These fellowships are highly competitive, and Valorie Troesch, assistant dean of the Graduate School, offers a seminar series to assist students in preparing and completing the NSF GRF application. The next series will begin in fall 2007, and it will be offered as GS800: Research Proposal Development. It is a one credit, pass/fail course. Seminar times and locations will be announced in the summer, but students can register now. For additional information about the seminars, contact Troesch at vtroesc@clemson.edu.

Murphy's advisor, Dr. Sebastien Goasguen notes that Murphy "has shown great technical depth and deep critical thinking that will serve him well during his fellowship" and adds that the award also "reflects more broadly on both our new School of Computing and Clemson University as a whole. Since the panelists for these national fellowships consider the choice of academic institution as part of the evaluation, I believe this award confirms that the University is headed in the right direction."

To learn more about the NSF GRF fellowships, visit their website at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/.