Meet the Bill Gates of Africa,Dr.Philip Chukwurah Emeagwali, the inventor of wolrd's fastest computer

Much has been made of the rise of Bill Gates, who dropped out of Harvard to create what would eventually become Microsoft. Philip Emeagwali dropped out of school in Nigeria at the age of 14 and went on to become a renowned computer scientist and mathematician, whose computational skills are being translated into such practical uses as the recovery of additional oil reserves in OPEC nations.

Philip Emeagwali, the oldest of nine children, was born in 1956 in the town of Akure, Nigeria. The family was poor; his father James was a nurse and his mother Agatha was a homemaker. Philip showed an early talent for mathematics. By the time he got to high school, his mathematical skills were so evident that his classmates gave him the nickname "Calculus."

Unfortunately, the family could not afford to send Philip to school after he turned 14, so he was forced to drop out. This did not keep him from studying, however. Making use of his local public library, he taught himself advanced math, physics, and chemistry. He passed a high school equivalency exam at 17.

Soon afterward, Emeagwali was awarded a scholarship to Oregon State University, where he majored, not surprisingly, in mathematics. He received his bachelor's degree from Oregon State; he later received two master's degrees from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (in ocean/marine engineering and civil/environmental engineering), and a master's from the University of Maryland in applied mathematics. He earned his Ph.D. in scientific computing from the University of Michigan.

Emeagwali's most important contribution to computer science is his work with supercomputers. He proved that supercomputer research could be conducted by remotely programming a supercomputer using the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET). What Emeagwali proved was that users could hook into many smaller computers instead of one supercomputer to access information or solve complex computational problems. In 1989, he used the Internet to access more than 65,000 computers in order to perform a complex calculation--which he did at three times the anticipated speed of a supercomputer. He discovered that this was possible by using the earlier calculations of a German scientist, Paul Fillunger. Fillunger had been unable to prove his calculations correct, but Emeagwali reexamined them and was able to solve key equations to do prove Fillunger's calculations.

Emeagwali used these equations to help map petroleum reservoirs in simulation. By using complex calculations, he showed how oil engineers could more accurately track oil flow underground and get the maximum amount of oil out of any reserve. Experts expect that the new technology could eventually increase oil revenues by billions of dollars.

Emeagwali has received several awards for his discoveries, including the Gordon Bell Prize and the National Society of Black Engineers' 1996 "Pioneer of the Year" award. He is married to Dale Brown Emeagwali, herself a noted microbiologist; the couple have a young son. Emeagwali's hobbies include exploring the Internet, but he also plays tennis, swims, and runs.