Seminar Series Archive

Most logicians and theoretical computer scientists are familiar with Alan Turing's 1936 seminal paper setting the stage for the foundational (discrete) theory of computation. Most however remain unaware of Turing's 1948 seminal paper introducing the notion of condition, setting the stage for a natural theory of complexity for what I call the "other theory of computation" emanating from the classical tradition of numerical analysis, equation solving and the continuous mathematics of calculus. This talk will recognize Alan Turing's work in the foundations of numerical computation (in particular, his 1948 paper "Rounding-Off Errors in Matrix Processes"), how it provides a unifying concept for the two major traditions of the Theory of Computation, and its influence on complexity theory today.

Lenore Blum (PhD, MIT) is Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research has focused on inter-connections between mathematics and logic (differential algebra and model theory), mathematics and computer science (computation and complexity over the reals with Shub and Smale) and, mathematics/computer science and cognitive neuroscience (her current work with M. Blum on a computer architecture for a conscious AI). She is also Founding Director of Project Olympus at Carnegie Mellon, an innovation center that works with faculty and students to bridge the gap between cutting-edge university research and economy-promoting commercialization for the benefit of our communities. Project Olympus is a good example of Blum's determination to make a real difference in the academic community and the world beyond. Lenore is internationally recognized for her work in increasing the participation of girls and women in STEM fields. She was a founder of the Association for Women in Mathematics, and founding co-Director of the Math/Science Network and its Expanding Your Horizons conferences which has served nearly 1 million middle and high school girls nationwide. At CMU she founded the Women@SCS program where women now comprise nearly 50% of entering computer science majors with retention rates for women higher than for men. In 2004 she received the US Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. In 2009 she received the Carnegie Science Catalyst Award recognizing her work targeting high-tech talent to promote economic growth in the Pittsburgh region and for increasing the participation of women in computer science. Lenore has served the professional community in numerous capacities, including as President of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), Vice President of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), Chair of the Mathematics Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and as a member of the MIT Mathematics Visiting Committee. She has taught at the University of California at Berkeley, was a Senior Researcher at the International Computer Science Institute and Deputy Director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, both also in Berkeley. She is a fellow of the AAAS and inaugural fellow of the AMS and the AWM.