Alan M. Turing (1912–1954) was a mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. In honor of this pioneer of our digital age, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing are presenting a lecture by Andrew Hodges, the author of the acclaimed biography
(newly issued this year in a Centenary edition) ), followed by a panel discussion. Turing formalized the concepts of “algorithm” and “computation” via the Turing machine, providing a blueprint for the electronic digital computer, and is widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.
In a celebration of the centenary of Turing’s birth, the evening’s discussion will explore his life and work, as well as his ongoing influence on current research in logic, computer science, complexity, and biology.
The distinguished panelists include Martin Davis (Courant Institute), Andrew Hodges (University of Oxford), Don Knuth (Stanford University), Peter Norvig (Google), Dana Scott (Carnegie Mellon University), and Luca Trevisan (Stanford University). Richard Karp, Founding Director of the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, will moderate.