Just five little letters
Professor's singular name isn't the only thing that sets him apart
Most people know Cher, Liberace, Prince, Bono and Madonna. They're noted not only for their talents, but their singular names.
And so is K-State's Robby -- though instead of being a pop culture icon, he's known in the arena of software engineering research.
Robby, an assistant professor in K-State's department of computing and information sciences, researches and develops new techniques to check software and make sure it works properly. To anyone with a computer, Robby is somewhat of a star, albeit he operates behind the scenes.
&1xbet online games login ;I was once introduced at a conference as the 'Madonna of software model checking' but the comparisons stop there,&1xbet online games login ; he said. &1xbet online games login ;I'm not famous.&1xbet online games login ;
Besides his knowledge and expertise in programming and software systems, people on and off campus seem to remember Robby because of his distinctive name.
Robby is originally from Indonesia where, he said, single names are common -- like national leaders Sukarno and Suharto. Though having a single name was no big deal when he lived in Indonesia, when he migrated to the U.S. he started getting asked, mainly by people in governmental offices, for his &1xbet online games login ;full&1xbet online games login ; name.
In his dozen or so years in the U.S., various agencies have dubbed him &1xbet online games login ;Robby&1xbet online games login ; Robby; &1xbet online games login ;First name unknown&1xbet online games login ; or &1xbet online games login ;FNU&1xbet online games login ; Robby; &1xbet online games login ;Unknown&1xbet online games login ; Robby; &1xbet online games login ;No Given Name&1xbet online games login ; Robby; and, his favorite, &1xbet online games login ;--&1xbet online games login ; Robby.
&1xbet online games login ;That last one's out of the K-State phone book,&1xbet online games login ; he said.
Though his name has caused what he characterizes as minor inconveniences, people do tend to remember it, he said.
&1xbet online games login ;I think that people also are more easily confused because my name is like a nickname,&1xbet online games login ; he said, noting that it isn't short for anything.
Mostly, Robby finds himself explaining a lot, like when applying for visas to visit various countries. He once had to cancel a trip to Italy because his visa request was refused.
&1xbet online games login ;The Italian consulate in Chicago rejected my visa application and shipped it back the next day because they required two names on the passport,&1xbet online games login ; he said. &1xbet online games login ;I told them that I had received visas to go to Finland and the U.S. without any problem. The representative told me, 'We are Italians. We are not like the Americans or the Finns.'&1xbet online games login ;
When he first came to K-State, he came dangerously close to not getting his first paycheck because of his single name.
Interestingly, the one government office that had no problem with his sole name was Social Security. But now his name has been changed to &1xbet online games login ;Unknown&1xbet online games login ; Robby in the agency's system, which meant Robby had to do some explaining when he recently renewed his Kansas driver's license.
&1xbet online games login ;You can't change your name from 'FNU' to 'Unknown' Robby just like that,&1xbet online games login ; he was sternly told.
Why not, he thought, everyone else does.
Photos: (Top) Robby, an assistant professor in the department of computing and information sciences, does quite a bit of explaining when it comes to his name. (Bottom) Robby's driver's license reflects the latest in a long line of names given to him by various governmental agencies.