Visions for Theoretical Computer Science

Theoretical Computer Science (TCS) aims to understand the intrinsic capabilities and limitations of efficient computation. This subfield of computer science has a record of producing unexpected discoveries of high impact, such as public-key cryptography and quantum computation; and of raising deep scientific questions, such as the P vs. NP question.

On May 17, 2008, the TCS community will engage in a CCC-sponsored "visioning" workshop at the University of Washington in Seattle. The goals of the visioning workshop will be to:

Identify broad research themes within theoretical computer science (TCS) that have potential for a major impact in the future,

Distill these research directions into compelling "nuggets" that can quickly convey their importance to a layperson.

The nuggets produced in the workshop will serve to highlight the importance of sustained support for long-term, fundamental computing research, and to inspire the TCS community in its future efforts.

All researchers interested in theoretical computer science are encouraged to provide input for the visioning process. Since space is limited, those interested in attending should apply as soon as possible. (Ideas are welcome even from those who cannot attend.) More information is available at the workshop's website.

 

Organizing Committee

Bernard Chazelle (Princeton), Anna Karlin (U. Washington), Richard Ladner (U. Washington), Dick Lipton (Georgia Tech), Salil Vadhan (Harvard)