Geoffrey Hinton Awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics
ACM A.M. Turing Award recipient Geoffrey Hinton has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics along with John J. Hopfield "for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks." Hopfield created an associative memory that can store and reconstruct images and other types of patterns in data. Hinton invented a method that can autonomously find properties in data, and so perform tasks such as identifying specific elements in pictures. Hinton received the 2018 A.M. Turing Award with Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun for conceptual and engineering breakthroughs that have made deep neural networks a critical component of computing.
David A. Padua Recognized with Ken Kennedy Award
ACM has named David A. Padua, Donald Biggar Willett Professor Emeritus of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the recipient of the 2024 ACM-IEEE CS Ken Kennedy Award. The Ken Kennedy Award recognizes groundbreaking achievements in parallel and high performance computing. Padua is cited for innovative and usable contributions to the theory and practice of parallel compilation and tools, as well as service to the computing community. The award will be formally presented at The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC24).
ACM Announces Luiz André Barroso Award
ACM has inaugurated the Luiz André Barroso Award to recognize researchers from historically underrepresented communities who have made fundamental contributions to computer science. It will be awarded annually, and the recipient will give a one-hour invited talk at a major ACM conference of their choice. The award carries a cash prize of $40,000 and includes travel expenses to the conference, plus an additional $10,000 cash contribution to an approved charity of the awardee’s choice. Financial support for the Luiz André Barroso Award is provided by Google. Nomination information for the award can be found here.
Call for 2024 Award Nominations
Each year, ACM recognizes technical and professional achievements within the computing and information technology community through its celebrated Awards Program, and welcomes nominations for candidates whose work exemplifies the best and most influential contributions to our community and society at large. ACM's award committees evaluate the contributions of candidates for various awards that span a spectrum of professional and technological accomplishments. When nominating, we ask people to consider ACM’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Nominations are due December 15, 2024, with the exception of the Doctoral Dissertation Award which is due October 31.
Former ACM President Barbara Simons Honored at Verified Voting's 20th Anniversary Celebration
On September 14th, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi presented former ACM president and Verified Voting Board Chair Barbara Simons with an award for her decades of commitment to securing our elections at Verified Voting’s 20th anniversary celebration. Simons has served on the Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission since 2008, and as a computer scientist who believes in the power of paper, she continues to champion secure, transparent elections.
USTPC Statement on CrowdStrike Incident
ACM's US Technology Policy Committee has released a “Statement on Mass Cybersecurity Incidents Likely to Recur.” On July 18, 2024, CrowdStrike, a US-based cybersecurity technology company, released a sensor configuration update which caused a global outage affecting an estimated 8.5 million computers. Several critical infrastructure sectors including airlines, 911 emergency systems, banks, government agencies, healthcare, and hospitals around the world were impacted. While CrowdStrike has provided some information as to how the accident happened, ACM USTPC urges that all the details be thoroughly and publicly investigated.
ACM Announces 2024 ACM-IEEE CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowship Recipients
Ke Fan of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Daniel Nichols of the University of Maryland are the 2024 ACM-IEEE CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowship recipients.The George Michael Memorial Fellowship honors exceptional PhD students throughout the world whose research focus is high-performance computing (HPC) applications, networking, storage, or large-scale data analytics. The Fellowships will be formally presented at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC24) in November.
Accessibility in Computing: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
The ever-changing landscape of technology, the computing industry, and resulting societal impacts carry great potential for persons with disabilities. On July 10, 2024, ACM DEI Council hosted the panel, "Accessibility in Computing: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities." Panelists explored a range of topics about the current trends in accessibility in computing and how the industry is incorporating inclusive designs to meet diverse needs. Panelists discussed the gaps in accessibility that technology companies and others should address creating a more inclusive digital space.
Nicola Dell Named 2024 MacArthur Fellow
ACM Member Nicola Dell has been named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow. She was cited for developing technology interventions to address the needs of overlooked populations, such as survivors of intimate partner violence. Dell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. She is also the Director of Technological Innovation for the Initiative on Home Care Work in the Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW) at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with ACM
In celebration of Iberoamerican Heritage Month, also known as Hispanic Heritage Month, ACM is hosting a panel focused on language inclusion in the computer science field. Organized by ACM DEI Council member, Cristiano Maciel, the discussion panel, “Language as Inclusion of Exclusion: Can Artificial Intelligence Make a Difference?” explore ways to reduce language barriers in computer science and how AI can address these disparities in underrepresented languages. Moderated by Indira Guzman, the panel will feature Franci Suni, Vinicius Pereira, and Nayat Sanchez-Pi. The panel will take place on October 23, 2024 at 5 PM EST. Register here
Celebrating Technology Leaders - Generative AI in Enterprise Software
We are at the forefront of a technological revolution where generative AI is redefining the boundaries of what's possible within enterprise environments. What are the key challenges enterprises face when integrating generative AI into their existing software ecosystems? And how is generative AI changing the day-to-day work of developers and engineers? For the answers to these questions and more, you can now view "Generative AI in Enterprise Software" with host Bushra Anjum and a panel of experts representing diverse fields—Mamta Suri, Elaine Zhou, and Rebecca Sanchez—as they explore the current trends, challenges, and future prospects of integrating generative AI into enterprise software.
Mobilizing for Diversity in Award Recognition
Over the years, computing has progressed remarkably thanks to the contributions of individuals from diverse backgrounds who have incorporated their unique experiences and perspectives into technological advancements. Yet despite these significant contributions, award recognition for individuals from diverse backgrounds remains underrepresented. In "Science Needs You: Mobilizing for Diversity in Award Recognition," co-authors Elizabeth Novoa-Monsalve, David Patterson, Stephanie Ludi, and Daniel E. Acuna offer insights on how to create a more inclusive and equitable system of award recognition within the scientific community.
View on Demand - 2024 Heidelberg Laureate Forum
The 11th Heidelberg Laureate Forum brought together some of the brightest minds in mathematics and computer science for an unrestrained, interdisciplinary exchange. During the weeklong conference, young researchers and other participants had the opportunity to connect with scientific pioneers and learn how the laureates made it to the top of their fields, along with attending Laureate lectures and discussions plus various interactive program elements. The week featured talks, panels, and interactive sessions where some of the timeliest issues in mathematics and computer science were discussed. Highlights from this year's Forum are now available for viewing on the HLF YouTube page.
2023 Computer Science Curriculum Guidelines Revision
ACM has joined with the IEEE Computer Society and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence to develop "Computer Science Curricula 2023” (CS2023). CS2023 provides a comprehensive guide outlining the knowledge and competencies students should attain for degrees in computer science and related disciplines at the undergraduate level. Establishing uniform curricular guidelines for computer science disciplines is essential to the ongoing vitality of the field and the future success of those who study it.
New Open Access Publishing Model for ICPS Coming in 2024
In a major step in its transition to fully Open Access (OA) publication of all content on the ACM Digital Library, ACM will transition the International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS) to a fully OA publishing model from January 2024. In the new model, all ICPS papers will be made OA upon publication, and existing ICPS papers will be converted to OA. Some authors who are not at ACM Open institutions will be required to pay Article Processing Charges (APCs). The model will apply to all conferences for which the Call for Papers will be issued on or after January 1, 2024.
ACM Skills Bundle Add-On
ACM has created a new Skills Bundle add-on providing unlimited access to ACM's collection of thousands of online books, courses, and training videos from O'Reilly, Skillsoft Percipio, and Pluralsight. ACM’s collection includes more than 60,000 online books and video courses from O’Reilly, 9,700 online courses and 11,000 eBooks and audiobooks from Skillsoft, and 2,000 courses from Pluralsight.
The new Skills Bundle add-on is available to paid Professional Members only. Visit the ACM subscription page or contact Member Services to add the Skills Bundle to your membership.
Inaugural Issues of ACM/IMS Journal of Data Science
ACM and IMS (Institute of Mathematical Statistics) have announced the publication of the first issues of the ACM/IMS Journal of Data Science (JDS), a new peer-reviewed publication. The scope of the journal is multi-disciplinary and broad, spanning statistics, machine learning, computer systems, and the societal implications of data science. JDS accepts original papers as well as novel surveys that summarize and organize critical subject areas. The ACM/IMS Journal of Data Science is a Gold Open Access publication, permanently and freely available online for anyone, anywhere to read.
ACM Boasts Strong Impact Factors
ACM publications had an impressive showing in the newest Journal Citation Reports from Clarivate Analytics. ACM Computing Surveys continued its impressive ascent, receiving an impact factor of 23.8, up from 16.6 in 2023, and placing it first out of the 143 journals in the Computer Science, Theory & Methods category. Communications of the ACM boasted continued strong performance, with an impact factor of 11.1, placing it first in the Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture category for the second year in a row; third of 131 titles in the Computer Science, Software Engineering category; and sixth of 143 journals in the Computer Science, Theory & Methods category.
Ceasing Print Publication of ACM Journals and Transactions
ACM has made the decision to cease print publication for ACM’s journals and transactions as of January 2024. There were several motivations for this change: ACM wants to be as environmentally friendly as possible; print journals lack the new features and functionality of the electronic versions in the ACM Digital Library; and print subscriptions, which have been declining for years, have now reached a level where the time was right to sunset print. Please contact [email protected] should you have any questions.
TechBrief on Data Privacy Protection
ACM TechBriefs is a series of short technical bulletins by ACM’s Technology Policy Council that present scientifically-grounded perspectives on the impact of specific developments or applications of technology. Designed to complement ACM’s activities in the policy arena, the primary goal is to inform rather than advocate for specific policies. The new edition concerns the proliferation of data collection, advanced algorithms, and powerful computers which have made it easy to piece together information about individuals’ private lives from public information—even as controls over information privacy become increasingly ineffective.
HotTopic Panel on Autonomous Weapons
Once considered science fiction, autonomous weapons systems long ago left the drawing board for the battlefield. Employed in conflicts today, such systems remain controversial and are ungoverned by any broad binding international agreement. The ACM US Technology Policy Committee hosted the HotTopics webinar: "Death by Algorithm: The Use, Control, and Legality of Lethal and Other Autonomous Weapons Systems" with Larry Medsker (Moderator), Ronald C. Arkin, Gary Corn, Jack Shanahan, and Jody Westby discussing this timely and critical subject.
TPC Releases Principles for Generative AI Technologies
In response to major advances in generative AI technologies—as well as the significant questions these technologies pose in areas including intellectual property, the future of work, and even human safety—ACM's global Technology Policy Council (TPC) has issued "Principles for the Development, Deployment, and Use of Generative AI Technologies." Drawing on the deep technical expertise of computer scientists in the United States and Europe, the TPC statement outlines eight principles intended to foster fair, accurate, and beneficial decision-making concerning generative and all other AI technologies.
Meet Elizabeth Hawthorne
Elizabeth K. “Beth” Hawthorne is a Full Professor and Graduate Program Director of Cybersecurity at Northeastern University's Arlington, Virginia campus. Previously, she spent 26 years at Union College in Cranford, New Jersey—retiring as Senior Professor Emerita of Computer Science and Cybersecurity. She has been active with ACM’s education initiatives for decades. In her interview, Hawthorne discusses what sparked her interest in cybersecurity, the role of community colleges in computing education, the significance of AI in CS2023, her work on Rendering History: The Women of ACM-W, and more.
ACM Opens First 50 Years Backfile
ACM has opened the articles published during the first 50 years of its publishing program, from 1951 through the end of 2000, These articles are now open and freely available to view and download via the ACM Digital Library. ACM’s first 50 years backfile contains more than 117,500 articles on a wide range of computing topics. In addition to articles published between 1951 and 2000, ACM has also opened related and supplemental materials including data sets, software, slides, audio recordings, and videos.
Meet Chad Jenkins
Odest Chadwicke “Chad” Jenkins is a Professor of Robotics and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. He directs the Laboratory for Progress (Perceptive Robotics and Grounded Reasoning Systems), where he aims to discover methods for computational reasoning and perception that will enable robots to effectively assist people in common human environments. In his interview, Jenkins discusses his path to becoming a roboticist, humanoid robotics and its impact on society, his time as EiC for ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction, and more.
Featured ACM ByteCast
ACM ByteCast is ACM's series of podcast interviews with researchers, practitioners, and innovators who are at the intersection of computing research and practice. In this episode of ACM ByteCast, Harald Störrle hosts ACM Fellow and Software System Award recipient Xavier Leroy, Professor at Collège de France and member of the Académie des Sciences. Here, he shares the evolution of Ocaml, his interest in formal verification, discusses AI tools like Copilot and the current limitations of AI-generated code in software engineering, ACM’s efforts to become a more global and diverse organization, and much more.
How Tech Can Empower the LGBTQ+ Community
In celebration of Pride Month, ACM hosted a panel discussion centered around technological advances and its importance in connecting LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide. Queer users have utilized virtual reality and social media platforms to create a safe environment for community gathering and authentic self-expression. “Virtual Realities: How Tech Can Empower the LGBTQ+ Community,” featured panelists Andreea Danielescu, Sharone Horowit-Hendler, and Michael Ann Devito with Guo Freeman as the moderator. Panelists shared their research on how LGBTQ+ identities and technology intersect.
Diversity Data Collection at ACM
ACM is deeply committed to fostering a scientific community that both supports and benefits from the talents of community members from a wide range of backgrounds. To this end, ACM has adopted new demographic questions developed by ACM’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council to understand current levels of participation and to gauge our success at advancing DEI. It is mandated that they be used throughout ACM for all activities, and responses will be required from all ACM authors, reviewers, conference attendees, volunteers, and members. Please take the time to fill out your questionnaire today.
UbiComp / ISWC 2024, Oct. 5 - 9
UbiComp / ISWC is a premier interdisciplinary venue in which leading international researchers, designers, developers, and practitioners in the field present and discuss novel results in all aspects of ubiquitous, pervasive and wearable computing and promote the understanding of human experiences and social impacts that these technologies facilitate. UbiComp will again be collocated with the ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC). Keynote speakers will be Genevieve Bell (Australian National University) and performance artist Stelarc. This event will be held in Melbourne, Australia.
VRST 2024, Oct. 9 - 11
The ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology is an international forum dedicated to virtual and augmented reality software and technology. This year, VRST 2024 will be dedicated to the imperative theme of reproducibility. Papers being presented cover subjects including "Exploring Presence in Interactions with LLM-Driven NPCs, "Exploring the Impact of Visual Scene Characteristics and Short-term Learning Effects on Rotation Gain Perception in VR", "Neural Motion Tracking," and more. Keynote speakers are Maud Marchal (University Rennes), and Brian Nosek (University of Virginia). The event is being held in Trier, Germany.
CCS 2024, Oct. 14 - 18
The ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security is the flagship annual conference of the Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control, whose mission is to develop the information security profession by sponsoring high quality research conferences and workshops. Workshops will include "Adaptive and Autonomous Cyber Defense," "Secure and Trustworthy Superapps,"Privacy in the Electronic Society," and more. Keynote speakers are Dan Boneh (Stanford University) and Gene Tsudik (University of California, Irvine). The event will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
CACM Relaunched as Open Access, Web-First Publication
ACM has relaunched Communications of the ACM (CACM) as a web-first publication, accessible to all without charge—including the entire backlog of CACM articles. First published in 1958, CACM is one of the most respected information technology magazines. The web-first model will allow ACM to publish articles more rapidly than before so that readers can keep abreast of the lightning-fast changes in the computing field. At the same time, researchers will be able to reference and cite valuable information and research from CACM articles more quickly. This marks another important milestone in ACM's ongoing transition to a fully open access publisher.
The Semantic Reader Project
The exponential growth in the rate of scientific publication and the increasing interdisciplinary nature of scientific progress make it increasingly hard for scholars to keep up with the latest developments. Reading information-dense scientific papers has remained unchanged in decades, relying on aging formats. But now, advances in AI and HCI can power intelligent, interactive, and accessible reading interfaces to improve scholarly reading. In the October issue of Communications of the ACM, Kyle Lo, Joseph Chee Chang, et al., explore augmenting scholarly documents through AI-powered interactive reading interfaces.
Multiparty Computation: To Secure Privacy, Do the Math
MPC (multiparty computation) was introduced to the world in 1982—at about the same time the Commodore 64 was announced. Why are we still talking about MPC more than 40 years later? Well, it turns out MPC is based on some extremely complex math, which is like nectar to anyone in the field of cryptography. And, over the past decade, MPC has come to be exhumed from the archives and harnessed as one of the most powerful tools available for the protection of sensitive data. Here, in a discussion with Nigel Smart, Joshua W. Baron, Sanjay Saravanan, Jordan Brandt, and Atefeh Mashatan, we explore some of the implications of these advances.
Automatically Testing Database Systems
ACM Queue’s "Research for Practice" serves up expert-curated guides to the best of computing research, and relates these breakthroughs to the challenges that software engineers face every day. In this installment, "Automatically Testing Database Systems," Manuel Rigger (Assistant Professor in the School of Computing at the National University of Singapore) presents three papers. The first focuses on the problem of automatically synthesizing sophisticated test oracles that check whether the outputs of a database history are correct. The second co-designs input generation and test oracle in order to focus strictly on bugs in concurrency control. The last covers a diverse input space of SQL dialects while relying on the "built-in" test oracle of system crashes.
Send Email as Your "@acm.org" Address
ACM is excited to announce a new enhancement of to the widely used ACM email forwarding service. Through a partnership with MailRoute, SMTP Auth Relay is now available for member use. To start sending fully authenticated email as your @acm.org address, simply log in at https://myacm.acm.org and click the "SMTP Auth Relay" link.
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Lifelong Learning
ACM offers lifelong learning resources including online books and courses from Skillsoft, TechTalks on the hottest topics in computing and IT, and more.
ACM Updates Code of Ethics
ACM recently updated its Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. The revised Code of Ethics addresses the significant advances in computing technology since the 1992 version, as well as the growing pervasiveness of computing in all aspects of society. To promote the Code throughout the computing community, ACM created a booklet, which includes the Code, case studies that illustrate how the Code can be applied to situations that arise in everyday practice and suggestions on how the Code can be used in educational settings and in companies and organizations. Download a PDF of the ACM Code booklet.