Dr. Leon Adkison

My name is Leon Adkison. I am married to LaGatha. I am Professor of Systems, Director of the Systems Program, and holder of the Ronald McDaniel Chair of Computer Science and Engineering. I teach a variety of courses, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is the Registrar. We are both graduates of Texas Christian University, she with her Bachelor's degree and me with my Bachelor's, Masters, and PhD.

We moved to Taylor and Indiana in 1974 when our two sons were very young. Since then, John Mark graduated from Taylor, received his Masters degree from the University of North Carolina, and currently is Director of Development in the Athletic Department of Embry Riddle University. He is married to Candace Adkison who graduated from the University of Georgia and is the Director of Promotions for the Daytona International Speedway. Christopher also graduated from Taylor, received his MBA from Averitt University, and currently works in the information technology area of Proctor and Gamble. He is married to Beth Adkison who also graduated from Taylor and works in the marketing area at Proctor and Gamble. They have three children, Kennedy Elaine, Andrew Jacob, and Katherine Taylor.

LaGatha and I live in Indianapolis, having moved there in 2002. Previously, we had lived within a mile of Taylor for 28 years. We chose to move in order to be closer to our church, Second Presbyterian. I have been a member of the choir since the fall of 1997.

I have been privileged to have more than 20 publications, led more than 300 seminars for computing and systems professionals, directed more than 100 statistical studies for various groups, and served in many consulting roles in business and government.

Taylor has been and continues to be a wonderful place to serve the Lord in higher education. The primary mission of both Taylor and our department is to glorify God. We have superb faculty and staff. We have been able to establish and maintain an exceptionally fine curriculum. Our students are excellent. So are our facilities. Our graduates' success in the world of work and in further education has been outstanding. More importantly, they are serving their Lord throughout our country and the world.

Questionnaire

Favorite book?

William Barclay's commentary series on each book of the Bible

Most famous person you ever met?

Linus Pauling, just after he had won his second Nobel prize

Favorite part about your job?

Students

First computer you had or used?

the IBM 1620

First program you wrote? In what language?

Typical Intro to COS programs in FORTRAN

Vim or Emacs

EMACS, by a landslide

Worst bug you had to track down?

I was analyzing time series data for my dissertation. There were various components of the earth's magnetic field expressed in amplitude as a function of time. After smoothing the data mathematically, I performed an autocorrelation and then an inverse Fourier transform. The result is called a power spectrum, which is expressed as amplitude squared as a function of frequency. I then attempted to remove the presence of the earth's magnetic field in order to emphasize a small change in the data caused by a current system in the ionosphere. That change is less than the earth's field by a factor of 1000. I normalized the two representations to the highest frequency. I tried to plot the two graphs together. At the time -- mid 60's -- it was common that you would create a tape online and plot offline after midnight. I was using a large mainframe at a research installation that was affiliated with many universities. I kept getting an error, a strange one. After many hexadecimal core dumps, and over one month of trying to solve this problem, we finally discovered the bug. The magnetic tape used by the research installation had an oxide problem. They used a different one, and it plotted just fine.

Preferred operating system?

To be blunt, I still prefer the computers which didn't have an "operating system".

Preferred programming language?

First generation: The machine language of the IBM 400 series, Second generation: Autocoder, Third generation: FORTRAN, Fourth generation: FOCUS, and Fifth generation: ART

Favorite Bible verse?

John 3:16

Favorite quote?

"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission", said by Admiral Grace Hopper who was a great friend of Taylor, the first member of our departmental advisory board, and one of the true giants in the computer field

Where do you get your computer news from?

Ziff Davis Media, both electronically and in printed format

What's the most prestigious thing you have done in the computer science / business field?

Recognized in the 1998-99, 20th Edition of American Men and Women of Science as being a leader today in the fields of Computer Sciences (General), Information Science and Systems, and Intelligent Systems

When did you first know you were interested in Computer Science? What attracted you about it?

I had to use computers to analyze the data for my dissertation

Favorite nonprogramming language?

Latin, by a landslide

Favorite place to visit?

New York City

Do you prefer Next Generation or Original Star Trek?

I enjoy them both equally

Favorite author?

Tie: Agatha Christie, Arthur Connon Doyle, and John LeCarre

Favorite SciFi author?

Tie: H.G. Wells and Jules Verne

Favorite smell?

Starbucks Bold

Coffee or tea?

Starbucks Bold

Favorite beverage?

Starbucks Bold

Do you pronounce SQL as "sequel" or do you say each letter?

SQL

Favorite programming paradigm?

Procedural

Favorite branch/area of mathematics?

Linear Algebra

Favorite physical science?

Astronomy

Favorite TV series?

"Cosmic Dimensions" which presents current research in astronomy. It's on the Science Channel.

Favorite Monty Python movie or comedy sketch?

The sketches where John Cleese walks around without bending his knees

When you go to a restaurant and they serve you a beverage, do you use the straw or take it out?

I seldom use a straw in coffee

Favorite band/composer/artist?

Composer: Handel, Artist: Monet