Wen-Ben Jone Returns to Tech CS Faculty

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M., September 24, 1999 -- It's been more than a decade since Wen-Ben Jone first started teaching computer science at New Mexico Tech; yet, he recently became the newest member of Tech's computer science faculty.

This seemingly incongruous turn of events is due to the fact that Jone, who was recently appointed to the full-time, tenured position of associate professor of computer science, previously taught at New Mexico Tech from 1987 until 1993.

Jone left New Mexico Tech six years ago when a family medical emergency obliged him to return to his native Taiwan.

Now that Jone is back at Tech, he has settled once again into the familiar confines of the Speare Building, home to Tech's computer science department, and is busy this fall semester teaching Computer Architecture, an undergraduate-level course, and Graduate Seminar, a graduate-level course.

"It's wonderful to be back," Jone says. "I really didn't expect to be able to get another tenured position at New Mexico Tech, but I did."

When Jone first came to Tech in 1987, he was fresh out of the doctoral program at Case Western Reserve University, where he earned his doctorate in computer engineering. Prior to that, he received both his bachelor of science and master of engineering degrees from Taiwan's National Chiao-Tung University.

From the time he returned to Taiwan in 1993, up until earlier this year, Jone taught computer science courses at the National Chung-Cheng University at Chiayi.

"When I returned to New Mexico Tech, I found the computer science department to be in pretty good shape," Jone relates. "The number of new graduate students is now down from then--and, we need to improve this situation--but all other things are about the same as when I left."

Jone notes that during his first stint at New Mexico Tech he was actively involved with collaborative research efforts involving math department faculty, scientists at Sandia National Laboratories, and researchers at the University of New Mexico.

Now that Jone is back at Tech, he will continue to pursue his research interests, he says, in computer architecture and integrated circuit design and testing.

"My colleagues encouraged me to return to New Mexico Tech," Jone says, "and my family preferred to stay here, so I believe I have made the right decision [to return to Tech]."

Jone was joined in his move back to Socorro by his wife, Li-Fen, their son, Alan, and their daughter, Alice.