Green, David Geoffrey 1949–

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Green, David Geoffrey 1949–

PERSONAL: Born September 21, 1949, in Melbourne, Australia; son of Irvine and Vera (Masters) Green; married Yvonne Briese, July 26, 1980; children: Audrey, Hilary. Education: Monash University, B.Sc., 1972, M.Sc., 1974; Dalhousie University, Ph.D., 1977.

ADDRESSES: Home—Australia. Office—School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Rd., Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, tutor, 1977–78; Environmental Resources Information Network, Canberra, Australia, associate director, 1990–91; Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, research fellow, 1989–90, senior fellow, 1991–94; Charles Stuart University, Albury, New South Wales, Australia, professor of environmental information, began 1994; Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, chair of environmental information technology; Complexity International, editor.

MEMBER: Ecological Society of Australia, Australian Mathematics Society.

WRITINGS:

(With Terry Bossomier) Complex Systems: From Biology to Computation, IOS Press (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 1993, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Terry Bossomier) Patterns in the Sand: Computers, Complexity, and Everyday Life, Perseus Books (Reading, MA), 1998.

The Serendipity Machine: A Voyage of Discovery through the Unexpected World of Computers, Allen and Unwin (Crow's Nest, New South Wales, Australia) 2004.

Contributor of articles and scholarly papers to journals, including Australian Journal of Intelligent Information Processing Systems, Journal of Knowledge-Based Intelligent Engineering Systems, Australian Biologist, and Landscape Ecology. Contributor of chapters to numerous books.

SIDELIGHTS: David Geoffrey Green is an educator and environmental technology expert with a focus on the use of computers to chart ways in which to solve environmental and social issues around the globe. Through his work, he is responsible for the advent of several online information services, including the Guide to Australia and the New South Wales HSC online. He has taught at a number of universities in Australia, including Monash University where he did his undergraduate studies, and is the author of several books.

The Serendipity Machine: A Voyage of Discovery through the Unexpected World of Computers explores the "serendipity effect," a process in which random discoveries in computer science appear to occur in a manner similar to accidental discoveries taking place in the biological sciences. This occurs when one studies vast amounts of computer data for coincidences and patterns. Colleen Cuddy, in a Library Journal review, called the book "a fascinating and accessible read." Writing for Information Today, Gwen M. Gregory noted that "Green translates technical developments into language that ordinary readers can understand," and "uses his ideas about technological complexity to help us understand the effects of computers on the modern world." She concluded that Green's work "is stimulating, well-written, and easy to read. While not aimed specifically at information specialists, it is nevertheless filled with exciting ideas to challenge your view of computers and how they affect society."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Information Today, June, 2005, Gwen M. Gregory, "Unexpected Effects of Computers," review of The Serendipity Machine: A Voyage of Discovery through the Unexpected World of Computers, p. 48.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2005, review of The Serendipity Machine, p. 399.

Library Journal, April 1, 2005, Colleen Cuddy, review of The Serendipity Machine, p. 117.