Name William Rapaport | ||
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William J. Rapaport is an associate professor at the University at Buffalo.
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Academic research
Rapaport has done research and written extensively on Intentionality and Artificial Intelligence. He has research interests in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computational Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Logic and Mathematics, and published many scientific articles on them.
While a philosophy graduate student at Indiana University, he concocted the sentence: "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo". Throughout his career he developed this theme, and discussed it extensively.
Rapaport is also interested in Science Educational Theory and has received the New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching
Rapaport has clearly explained the field of intentionality, and his papers on the subject have influenced leading scientists and writers such as Daniel Dennett, Héctor-Neri Castañeda and John Searle (with whom he disagrees).
Other activities
In June 1988, Rapaport compiled a list of restaurants in the Buffalo area to give attendees of an ACL meeting at SUNY Buffalo. Now, the list is interactive and updated frequently with user reviews of restaurants.
Rapaport and his wife Mary, with whom he has a son Michael, a member of the Division I bowling team at Colgate University, and who is frequently seen out and about with upcoming broadway star, Meredith Clark, are the principal donors to the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, NY. The Desilu Playhouse, located in the Rapaport Center, contains memorabilia and other vintage I Love Lucy items. He and his wife have also purchased and renovated Lucille Ball's childhood home in Celoron, New York.