Dr. Siddiqui's honorary lecture is Oct. 16

Dr. Khalid Siddiqui, a recipient of the 2007 President’s Award for Excellence at SUNY Fredonia, will explore the topic, “Bridging Disciplines with Computing,” during his lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2 p.m., at the Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall.

“The evolution of computing offers an expanding array of opportunities and it will continue to branch out,” Dr. Siddiqui said. Computing is viewed as a cross discipline that covers science and technology, bridging the gap between natural, physical and social sciences and business and information technology services. None of these disciplines can do away with computing, he said.

As a result, computer and information science will continue to reshape itself to provide increasingly specialized, diversified and transdisciplinary curriculum to provide state-of-the-art university education and forefront innovative applications, Dr. Siddiqui explained. He added that computing is both an engineering discipline that involves putting theories and principles into practical use and a psychological and social discipline that directly involves man-machine interaction and human knowledge processing. It continues to evolve at SUNY Fredonia to address campus and business needs and reshape the curriculum.

Dr. Siddiqui’s presentation reflects a career that spans over 20 years of teaching computer science, decision sciences and management information science at SUNY Fredonia and other universities and more than two decades of industry experience.

As chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at SUNY Fredonia, Dr. Siddiqui increased enrollment in the program by 30 percent, added new programs, enlarged the size of the faculty and expanded the computer laboratory. He previously served as an associate professor and associate chair of the department.

While at Creighton University, Dr. Siddiqui was director of computer science programs and developed its graduate program in computer science. Utilizing a grant from the SUNY Learning Network, Dr. Siddiqui created an online Bachelor of Science degree program in Computer Information Systems.

His current focus of study includes computer algorithms and their applications in the areas of knowledge engineering, an emerging area of computer science, which counts Dr. Siddiqui as one of its pioneers. He collaborates with researchers in the United States, Canada and Pakistan to seek new applications for methods that he has developed.

Dr. Siddiqui earned his doctorate and master’s degrees, both in Computer Science, from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. He remains affiliated with professional institutes, societies and organizations in several countries, and has visited academic institutions in Azerbaijan, Canada, Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Established in 1986, the President’s Award for Excellence is presented each year to a teacher-scholar to recognize innovative and highly effective teaching. SUNY Fredonia President Dennis Hefner will introduce Dr. Siddiqui.

A reception will follow in the Rosch Recital Hall lobby.