Alan Turing Year
Encyclopedia
The Alan Turing Year 2012 will be a celebration of the life and scientific influence of Alan Turing
on the occasion of the centenary of his birth on 23 June 1912. Turing had an important influence on computing
, computer science
, artificial intelligence
, developmental biology
, and the mathematical theory of computability and made important contributions to code-breaking during the Second World War.
The international impact of Turing's work is reflected in the growing list of countries planning Alan Turing Year celebrations, including: Brazil
, Canada
, China
, Czech Republic
, France
, Germany
, Israel
, Italy
, Netherlands
, New Zealand
, Norway
, Philippines
, Portugal
, Spain
, Switzerland
, U.K.
and the U.S.A.
, Bletchley Park
, Princeton University
, and Stanford University
separately in September.
Events planned include the 2012 Computability in Europe
conference, as well as Turing Centenary activities organized or sponsored by the British Computer Society
, the Association for Symbolic Logic
, British Colloquium for Theoretical Computer Science
, the British Society for the History of Mathematics
, the Association for Computing Machinery
, British Logic Colloquium, Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour
, the Computer Conservation Society
, the Bletchley Park
Trust, the European Association for Computer Science Logic, the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science, International Association for Computing and Philosophy
, the Department of Philosophy at De La Salle University-Manila
, the John Templeton Foundation
, the Kurt Gödel Society, the IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science
,
the Science Museum
, and Turing100in2012.
; Turing's biographer Andrew Hodges
; Wendy Hall
, first person from outside North America elected President of the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM) in July 2008; Simon Singh
; Hugh Loebner
sponsor of the Loebner Prize
for Artificial Intelligence (annual science contest based on the famous Turing test
) and cyberneticist Kevin Warwick
, author of 'March of the Machines' and 'I, Cyborg'.
International co-ordination of marketing and publicity are being handled by Daniela Derbyshire.
is expected to issue a UK commemorative stamp
for the Turing centenary.
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
on the occasion of the centenary of his birth on 23 June 1912. Turing had an important influence on computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, developmental biology
Developmental biology
Developmental biology is the study of the process by which organisms grow and develop. Modern developmental biology studies the genetic control of cell growth, differentiation and "morphogenesis", which is the process that gives rise to tissues, organs and anatomy.- Related fields of study...
, and the mathematical theory of computability and made important contributions to code-breaking during the Second World War.
The international impact of Turing's work is reflected in the growing list of countries planning Alan Turing Year celebrations, including: Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Events
A number of major events will take place throughout the year. Most of these will be linked to places with special significance in Turing’s life, such as Cambridge University, University of ManchesterUniversity of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
separately in September.
Events planned include the 2012 Computability in Europe
Computability in Europe
Computability in Europe is an international organization of mathematicians, logicians, computer scientists, philosophers, theoretical physicists and others interested in new developments in computability and in their underlying significance for the real world...
conference, as well as Turing Centenary activities organized or sponsored by the British Computer Society
British Computer Society
The British Computer Society, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in Information Technology in the United Kingdom and internationally...
, the Association for Symbolic Logic
Association for Symbolic Logic
The Association for Symbolic Logic is an international organization of specialists in mathematical logic and philosophical logic—the largest such organization in the world. The ASL was founded in 1936, a crucial year in the development of modern logic, and its first president was Alonzo Church...
, British Colloquium for Theoretical Computer Science
British Colloquium for Theoretical Computer Science
The British Colloquium for Theoretical Computer Science is an organisation that hosts an annual event for UK-based researchers in theoretical computer science...
, the British Society for the History of Mathematics
British Society for the History of Mathematics
The British Society for the History of Mathematics was founded in 1971 to promote research into the history of mathematics at all levels and to further the use of the history of mathematics in education....
, the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, British Logic Colloquium, Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour
Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour
The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour or SSAISB or AISB is a nonprofit, scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behaviour and their simulation and embodiment in machines...
, the Computer Conservation Society
Computer Conservation Society
The Computer Conservation Society is a British organization, founded in 1989. It is under the joint umbrella of the British Computer Society, the Science Museum in London, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Many of the society's meetings are held at the Science Museum...
, the Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
Trust, the European Association for Computer Science Logic, the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science, International Association for Computing and Philosophy
International Association for Computing and Philosophy
The International Association for Computing and Philosophy is a professional, philosophical association emerging from a history of conferences that began in 1986...
, the Department of Philosophy at De La Salle University-Manila
De La Salle University
De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...
, the John Templeton Foundation
John Templeton Foundation
"The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organizationthat funds inter-disciplinary research about human purpose and ultimate reality. It is usually referred to simply as the Templeton Foundation...
, the Kurt Gödel Society, the IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science
IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science
The IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science is an annual academic conference on the theory and practice of computer science in relation to mathematical logic...
,
the Science Museum
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
, and Turing100in2012.
Organizers
The Turing Year is coordinated by the Turing Centenary Advisory Committee (TCAC), representing a range of expertise and organisational involvement in the 2012 celebrations. Members of TCAC include Honorary President, Sir John Dermot Turing; Chair, mathematician S. Barry CooperS. Barry Cooper
S. Barry Cooper is a British mathematician and computability theorist. He is currently Professor of Mathematical Logic at the University of Leeds. His book Computability Theory has made this basic but technical research area accessible to a new generation of students...
; Turing's biographer Andrew Hodges
Andrew Hodges
Andrew Hodges is a mathematician, an author and a pioneer of the gay liberation movement of the 1970s.For the past decades , Hodges has focused his research activities on the twistor theory — the new approach to the problems of fundamental physics pioneered by the mathematician Roger...
; Wendy Hall
Wendy Hall
Dame Wendy Hall DBE, FREng, FBCS, FIET, FCGI, FRS is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, England.- Background :...
, first person from outside North America elected President of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
(ACM) in July 2008; Simon Singh
Simon Singh
Simon Lehna Singh, MBE is a British author who has specialised in writing about mathematical and scientific topics in an accessible manner....
; Hugh Loebner
Hugh Loebner
Hugh Loebner is notable as the sponsor of the Loebner Prize, an embodiment of the Turing test. He is an American inventor, holding six United States Patents. He is also an outspoken social activist for the decriminalization of prostitution.- Loebner prize:Loebner established the Loebner Prize in...
sponsor of the Loebner Prize
Loebner prize
The Loebner Prize is an annual competition in artificial intelligence that awards prizes to the chatterbot considered by the judges to be the most human-like. The format of the competition is that of a standard Turing test. In each round, a human judge simultaneously holds textual conversations...
for Artificial Intelligence (annual science contest based on the famous Turing test
Turing test
The Turing test is a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour. In Turing's original illustrative example, a human judge engages in a natural language conversation with a human and a machine designed to generate performance indistinguishable from that of a human being. All...
) and cyberneticist Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom...
, author of 'March of the Machines' and 'I, Cyborg'.
International co-ordination of marketing and publicity are being handled by Daniela Derbyshire.
Publicity
The Royal MailRoyal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
is expected to issue a UK commemorative stamp
Commemorative stamp
A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event or person. The subject of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike definitive stamps which normally depict the subject along with the...
for the Turing centenary.