Purdue News
Purdue News
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June 2, 2004 Purdue math professor to head School of Science at IUPUI, pending trustee voteINDIANAPOLIS – Pending approval from the trustees of Indiana University and Purdue University, Purdue math professor Carl C. Cowen, an Indiana native who is president-elect of the Mathematical Association of America, will become the next dean of the Purdue School of Science on the IUPUI campus. IU trustees will consider Cowen's appointment during their June meeting. Cowen, who served as head of the department of mathematics on Purdue's West Lafayette campus from 1997 to 2002, will assume his new position Aug. 1. "Dr. Carl C. Cowen's national leadership in mathematics, his knowledge of IUPUI and Purdue University, and his own work in life sciences make him an ideal candidate to position the School of Science as a leader in the emerging fields of life sciences, advanced manufacturing and information technology," said IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz. "His dedication to promoting interdisciplinary study will take the school to the forefront of research and scholarly activity." Purdue President Martin C. Jischke said, "IUPUI has become a great metropolitan university, and Purdue's School of Science at IUPUI has developed into a leader for not only science research and education, but also for the development of Indiana's economy. Carl Cowen is an excellent choice to lead the school. He has the experience and skill needed to build on its excellent foundation." Cowen has been appointed to succeed IUPUI Dean David Stocum who has served as dean of the school for 15 years. Stocum is stepping down as dean but will continue as an IUPUI professor and researcher with the Indiana University Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine. The School of Science at IUPUI currently has 1,660 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in 30 degree programs and one certificate program. "Given the geographic location of the IUPUI campus, which includes the IU School of Medicine, and the campus's unique relationship with IU Bloomington and Purdue University West Lafayette, I see IUPUI as being a keystone for the advancement of scientific research and service to the state of Indiana and the Indianapolis metropolitan area," Cowen said. IUPUI's role as a hub for ever more advanced computer networking and its obvious potential as a central player in Indiana's life sciences initiatives are reasons for being optimistic about the future of the School of Science, Cowen said. Cowen's recent research interests include computational neuroscience, the use of math and statistics to study brain functions. The Purdue professor served as a visiting professor of the Mathematical Biosciences Institute at Ohio State University from 2002-2003. The institute was established in 2002 by the National Science Foundation to bring mathematical and biological scientists together to work on life sciences problems. Cowen, 58, holds a doctorate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, along with master's and bachelor's degrees from Indiana University. A member of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) math planning committee, Cowen is the author of numerous journal articles and several books including "Introduction to Matrix Analysis for Engineering Science," "Linear Algebra for Engineering and Science" and "Studies on Composition Operators." Cowen, who has mentored almost 40 Purdue undergraduate and graduate students, is the winner of numerous teaching awards including the Mathematical Association of America's (MAA) 1997 Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. The MAA award honors teachers who have been widely recognized as "extraordinarily successful and whose teaching effectiveness has been shown to have had influence beyond their own institutions." Cowen also was awarded the Indiana Section MAA Distinguished Service Award in 2003. Contact: Diane Brown, IUPUI media relations coordinator, (317) 274-7711, habrown@iupui.edu
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