• Office of Research and School of Information Systems presented event on 20 January 2015 in conjunction with Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS@one-north) Singapore 2015
• Four renowned Turing Award recipients shared insights behind computing and its impact on the world
• Over 300 student audience’s imagination captured on the future through computer science

Four eminent scientists, each of whom won the prestigious Turing Award that is also known as the “Nobel Prize” of Computing, participated in a panel discussion at the Singapore Management University (SMU) that was put together especially for students with an interest in computing and information systems.

Held as a partner event of the GYSS, which is organised by the National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF), guests of the session hosted at SMU’s Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium included students and faculty from junior colleges, International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes, polytechnics and other universities, as well as research professionals.

The session was aimed at broadening the vision of young talents on computing and information systems, for future studies and career paths.

Presenting how computing theories and algorithms have shaped people’s lives and the world, the panelists’ unraveled insights on how the research and application of computer science will continue to have profound impact and widespread ways to change the world.

The panelists, who clinched the Turing Award between 1985 and 2012, touched on various topics and issues such as cryptography, model checking, quantum computing, the game theory, and the vast use of computations in various fields such as science, economics and communication.

While clearly recognising that computing will have its problems that cannot be solved, the remarks of Professor Shafi Goldwasser, who won the Turing Award in 2012, summed up the optimism and excitement that all computing enthusiasts should keep in mind: “What we don’t see is what we are going to get.”

[Photo: Professor Shafi Goldwasser, 2012 Turing Award winner, delved into enormous benefits and risks in the globalisation of knowledge and unprecedented collection of data. The cryptographic methods that secure our online bank transactions and digital signatures are much more sophisticated now, thanks in part to the pioneering theories developed by Professor Shafi Goldwasser.]

The Question and Answer session generated interesting discussion, with the panelists posing questions among themselves, and the audience keenly seeking advice and views from the world’s best experts in the computing field.

Steven Miller, SMU Vice Provost of Research and Dean of the School of Information Systems, who moderated the session, thanked NRF and the panelists for having the ability to ‘amplify minds’ and change the way people think about science. He concluded on a positive note: “The future of computing is only just beginning. Even though future paths are not yet defined, it opens up infinite opportunities. The world is only getting more interesting, and computing plays a big part in making it so.”

For more information, visit the GYSS@one-north 2015 website or the SMU Panel Session event details.

[Featured Photo: SMU Vice Provost (Research) and Dean of School of Information Systems Steven Miller (in centre) with the four distinguished Turing Award panelists, (from left to right) Professor Edmund Clarke, Professor Shafi Goldwasser, Professor Andrew Yao and Professor Richard Karp.]