NSF PR 96-47 - September 5, 1996
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Juris Hartmanis to Lead NSF's Directorate for Computer
and Information Science and Engineering
Juris Hartmanis, an expert in the theory of computation
and computational complexity, has been appointed Assistant
Director of the National Science Foundation Directorate
of Computer and Information Science and Engineering
(CISE). Hartmanis will lead the directorate which
has responsibility for NSF's efforts with the Internet,
supercomputers, robotics and intelligent systems,
information processing systems and computational research.
"We are thrilled to have someone with the perspective
and expertise of Dr. Hartmanis," said NSF Director
Neal Lane. "He will be an exciting leader of the directorate
at a time when computers are affecting nearly every
aspect of American life and changing every field of
science and engineering."
Since 1965, Hartmanis has been with Cornell University,
where he helped create the computer science department
and served as its first chair. Prior to that he helped
bring computer science research to General Electric
Research Laboratory. He is a member of the National
Academy of Engineering and in 1993 received the Turing
Award, the highest award in computer science.
"It's been a magnificent ride, like sitting in a cockpit
and observing a brand new science being created. I
am delighted and surprised at what impact computer
science is having," Hartmanis said. "When I decided
to be a computer scientist, I couldn't imagine the
dramatic impact it has had."
Hartmanis was born in Latvia and emigrated to Germany
after World War II. He observed a world in disarray,
with not only physical ruins but also social chaos.
"Everything was in ruins, except that science was
still functioning," Hartmanis said. "At that time
I was going to be a scientist. It was one of those
untouched beautiful things that existed in the ruins."
He received his undergraduate degree in physics from
the University of Marburg, then came to the United
States to receive a master's from University of Kansas
City and a doctorate from the California Institute
of Technology, both in mathematics. Hartmanis then
taught at Cornell and Ohio State University before
being "lured away" by GE, he said.
Hartmanis sees the exponential growth in computing
power coupled with the growth in communications capabilities
as one of the most exciting aspects of computer science
today.
After receiving NSF support for some 30 years, Hartmanis
feels it is time to serve. In 1992, he chaired a National
Research Council Study which resulted in the book
"Computing the Future: A Broader Agenda for Computer
Science and Engineering." The two years' work with
the committee, he said, helped focus his interest
on computer science policy.
NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress
in 1950 to promote and advance scientific progress
in the United States. The CISE directorate awards
more than $275 million annually.
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