University of Virginia’s William Wulf Honored with 2011 Tapia Achievement Award
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—William Wulf, the AT&T Professor of Computer Science and University Professor at the University of Virginia and former President of the National Academy of Engineering, has been named as recipient of the 2011 Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science, and Diversifying Computing.
The award will be presented at the Tapia Conference 2011, to be held April 3-5, 2011, in San Francisco, California. Tapia 2011 is organized by the Coalition to Diversify Computing and sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery, in cooperation with the IEEE Computer Society and the Computing Research Association. For more information about the Tapia 2011 conference, visit http://www.richardtapia.org/2011.
The Tapia award recognizes an individual with outstanding achievements in scientific scholarship, a strong civic presence within the scientific community, and a dedication to the attainment of true ethnic diversity in computing and related disciplines. The ideal recipient will be devoted to the principle of equity in both theory and practice, and will have demonstrated leadership in applying creative solutions to the difficult social, cultural, technical and political problems of diversifying computing.
“As immediate past president of the National Academy of Engineering and former vice chair of the National Research Council, Bill Wulf has given America outstanding scientific leadership while constantly promoting an awareness of the nation’s need for diversity and gender equity within science and engineering. He has followed up by initiating critical steps to achieve these objectives,” said Prof. Richard Tapia. “Moreover, he is a distinguished teacher, mentor and developer of computer science curricula. William Wulf is the ideal recipient of an award that is devoted to the principle of equity in both theory and practice, demonstrating leadership in applying creative solutions to the difficult social, cultural, technical and political problems of diversifying computing.”
Wulf is a computer scientist notable for his work in programming languages and compilers. He received the first Computer Science Ph.D. ever awarded at the University of Virginia in 1968. He then joined Carnegie-Mellon University as assistant professor of computer science, becoming associate professor in 1973 and professor in 1975. In 1981 he left Carnegie-Mellon and founded Tartan Laboratories and served as chairman and chief executive officer until 1988. From 1988-90 he was assistant director of the National Science Foundation. In 1990 he returned to the University of Virginia as AT&T Professor and University Professor. As a professor, he has directed more than 25 Ph.D. theses.
Wulf is a fellow of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1997 he was elected president of the National Academy of Engineering, which operates under a congressional charter and presidential executive orders that call on it to provide advice to the government on issues of science and engineering. He is the author or co-author of three books, two patents and more than 100 papers.
Since 2001, the Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing has served as a leading forum for bringing together students, professors and professionals to discuss and strengthen their passion and commitment to computing. The program will include nine featured speakers who are exemplary leaders in academia and industry. Attendees will also gain insight from five sessions organized around proposals from the community. Finally, students will present their late-breaking results in a special research poster program.
About the Tapia Conference
The Tapia conference honors the significant contributions of Richard A. Tapia, a mathematician and professor in the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and a national leader in education and outreach programs. The Tapia Conferences brings together people in CS&E from all educational levels, backgrounds and ethnicities to celebrate and support the accomplishments of this diverse community.
