Cannon content with life in Logan
Scott Cannon is a professor of computer science here at Utah State University.
“[Computer Science] is interesting. I was in college just when it was developing. I thought it was an interesting new technology,” Cannon said.
Cannon came to USU after teaching at the University of Texas. Cannon said he liked the school in Texas, but he and his family wanted to move back to Utah to be close to family. He said he likes Logan because it is a good place to raise a family, has a good school (referring to USU) and the school has good students.
“[Cannon] is an excellent teacher. He always gets high teacher evaluations. I think very highly of [Cannon]. He is a very good computer scientist,” said Donald Cooley, computer science department head.
Cannon helps run the Space Software Laboratory on campus. The laboratory has done software for two satellites in orbit and a variety of defensive missile systems he said.
Cannon said, “I would really like to see that grow.
“I like working with the space lab and building fun toys and watching them work. It’s creative work,” he said.
Cannon said he is happy with the path his life has taken. Presently, his goal is to live to retirement. He said he doesn’t know where he’ll go after retiring. He is enjoying his job at USU. He said there is little interference in his work and he can just do it for himself.
“I like that. Working for yourself, following your own mind, teaching the way you want. It makes for a very nice career,” he said.
Cannon has written some textbooks covering subjects such as C++ and Java. He said it takes creativity to write in such a way as to hold the interest of the reader. He said he enjoys that aspect of it; he enjoys being creative in his field.
“I like to teach, to explain things and see students understand. It’s a great thing to work with students who are brighter than you are,” Cannon said.
He is a husband and a father of seven – three boys and four girls.
Cannon said his favorite part about being a dad is watching his children succeed and grow up.
“You reach a point where you just need companionship. You need someone to lean on. We’ve got a good close family,” he said.
Cannon was born in Salt Lake City in 1948. He attended Murray High School and graduated from the University of Utah. He earned his bachelor’s degree is physics and his doctorate in biophysics and computer science.