LAWRENCE S. KROLL BIOGRAPHY
For three decades, Dr. Lawrence Kroll has explored the boundaries of art and science. In addition to his work as a professor at San Francisco State University, he applies technology to expand creative frontiers.
Kroll was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Theoretical Mathematics from U.C. Riverside. After a 4-year professorship at U.C. Davis, he took a leave of absence from academia to found the non-profit organization Oz Projects and the Village OZ, a growth center in Northern California. In 1976 OZ was featured on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle.
For 13 years
Kroll introduced hundreds children and adults to current developments
in psychology, bodywork, and performance through scholarship camps, seminars,
and workshops given by leaders in these fields. With a focus on self-sufficiency,
much of the food for these workshops was grown in the Oz organic gardens.
Operating without county-operated utilities, the Oz facility required
Kroll's implementation of a variety of state-of-the-art alternative energy
sources, and the construction of innovative architectural structures designed
specifically to respond to the rugged landscape. These included geodesic
domes, pyramids, yurts, and a 275-foot suspension bridge.
In 1984 Kroll
moved to San Francisco, where he immersed himself in the rapidly expanding
digital revolution. He was offered a position as a professor of Computer
Science at San Francisco State University, where he continues to teach
to this day. In 2001 he was awarded the U.S. Medal of the Legion of Merit
for excellence in contributing to knowledge to the United States Education
System.
In addition
to teaching at SFSU, Kroll remains active in both the arts and sciences.
This year marks his thirtieth year as a practicing cartoonist, and he
has amassed over one thousand cartoons based on his life, family and work.
He serves on the board of directors of the Kestrel Institute, a non-profit
artificial intelligence research and educational corporation.
Kroll's eclectic interests have been passed on to his family. His wife, Kat, is an artist, poet and martial arts instructor. His oldest daughter, Panda, is an attorney. His son, Jon, is a film and television director, and his youngest daughter, Zoey, is a San Francisco-based performance artist and curator.