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CONTACT: Virginia Gold
IMMEDIATE
Lazowska and Spafford Named to President's IT Advisory Committee New York, May 15, 2003 -- In a continuing demonstration that ACM is a forum for ideas on how technology can better serve society, two of its most active policy advisors have been appointed as Members of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC). The White House announced on May 8, 2003, that Edward D. Lazowska will serve as Co-Chair of PITAC, and that Eugene H. Spafford will serve as a Member. Both appointments are for two-year terms. The White House announcement noted that PITAC will help guide the Administration's efforts to accelerate the development and adoption of information technologies vital for American prosperity in the 21st century. "Both Ed Lazowska and Gene Spafford are outstanding examples of ACM's independent technical expertise in the public policy arena," said John R. White, CEO of ACM. "Their quality analysis and insight on a range of computing and information technology topics will contribute significantly to a sound policy framework that is vital to the nation's future," he said. Edward Lazowska currently serves as a member of the ACM Council, ACM's highest governing authority. An active member of ACM, he has undertaken a significant public service role in the last ten years. He was a member of ACM's A.M. Turing Award selection committee in 1999-2000, and chair of ACM Special Interest Group on computer system performance (SIGMETRICS). Lazowska currently holds the Bill and Melinda Gates Chair in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. Eugene Spafford is co-chair of USACM, the ACM public policy committee, which assists policymakers and the public in understanding information technology issues. He testified on behalf of USACM before the US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology in October 2001, on the vital importance of investing in computer science education and research to secure the nation's information infrastructure. Spafford is professor of Computer Sciences at Purdue University and director of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS). For the full text of the White House announcement of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, see www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/05/20030508-6.html About ACM The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a major force in advancing the skills of information technology professionals and students. ACM serves its global membership by delivering cutting edge technical information and transferring ideas from theory to practice. ACM hosts the computing industry's leading Portal to Computing Literature. With its world-class journals and magazines, dynamic special interest groups, numerous conferences, workshops and electronic forums, ACM is a primary resource for the information technology field. For additional information about ACM, visit our web site at www.acm.org. |
