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IMMEDIATE
 Collaborations Led to Tests for Secure Data Encoding and Decoding New York, May 24, 2004 -- ACM has recognized four leading theoretical scientists for their contributions to realizing the practical uses of cryptography and for demonstrating the power of algorithms that make random choices. In the mid-1970s, first Robert M. Solovay and Volker Strassen working together, and independently Michael O. Rabin, building on a deterministic algorithm by Gary L. Miller, introduced random algorithms (detailed sequences of actions to accomplish a task), and formulas to test whether a number is prime. The generation of large primes is essential to all cryptographic systems today. Their work led to two probabilistic primality tests, known as the Solovay-Strassen test and the Miller-Rabin test. Drs. Miller, Rabin, Solovay and Strassen will receive ACM's 2003 Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award, which carries a $5,000 prize. Both the Solovay-Strassen test and the Miller-Rabin test are included in a range of cryptographics products, and a version of the Miller-Rabin test published by Dr. Rabin in 1980 is specified in many cryptographic standards. These tests have contributed significantly to enabling secure communication among computers using public key cryptography. They have also been used extensively for common transactions such as making credit card purchases over the Internet. Dr. Miller is professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Rabin is Thomas J. Watson, Sr. Professor of Computer Science at the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. Dr. Solovay is professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Strassen is a professor at the University of Konstanz, Germany. ACM will present the 2003 Kanellakis Award to the winners at its annual Awards Banquet on June 5, at the Plaza Hotel in New York. The $5,000 prize is endowed by contributions from the Kanellakis family, with additional financial support provided by ACM's Special Interest Groups on Algorithms and Computational Theory (SIGACT), Special Interest Group on Design Automaton (SIGDA), Special Interest Group on Management of Data (SIGMOD), Special Interest Group on Programming Languages (SIGPLAN), the ACM SIG Discretionary Fund, and individual contributions. About ACM ACM (www.acm.org) is widely recognized as the premier organization for computing professionals, delivering a broad array of resources that advance the computing and IT disciplines, enable professional development, and promote policies and research that benefit society. |
