How humanness shapes mathematics: reflections from Sir Andrew Wiles Not long ago, computers started solving mathematical proofs—a fact that surprised Sir Andrew Wiles. But to Wiles, who won the Silver Plaque of the IMU (1998) and the 2016 Abel Prize, the achievements of machines … 27. Sep 2016 | By Daniel Gross | 2 comments
Voevodsky and Proof Assistants Credit: © Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation / Flemming – 2016 Vladimir Voevodsky was awarded the Fields Medal in 2002 for his work on motivic cohomology leading to a proof of the Milnor conjecture. He’s here … 26. Sep 2016 | By Peter Woit | 4 comments
Three big ideas to change the world with Raj Reddy On the rare occasion, I have found myself in a conversation with someone who somehow seemed to be from the future. Many of us in the tech business naturally find ourselves occupied with near-term priorities, … 24. Sep 2016 | By Guest blogger | 0 comments
When You Learn a New Language to Read a Single Book In 1984, the legendary Alexander Grothendieck released one of the greatest mathematical texts of the century: “Esquisse d’un Programme.” It became a viral hit. Like an epic novel, it painted a sweeping vision of the … 23. Sep 2016 | By Ben Orlin | 0 comments
Raj Reddy: Aber wo ist die Filterblase? Was die Frage nach den negativen Folgen technischer Neuerungen angeht, hat die deutsche Gesellschaft ja nun den Ruf, eher besonders skeptisch und negativ zu sein. (Siehe aber z.B. auch diesen Beitrag mit einem Technikphilosophen, der … 23. Sep 2016 | By Markus Pössel | 5 comments
Böse neue intelligente Welt – führt künstliche Intelligenz zu mehr Krieg und der Erosion der Menschenrechte? Maschinelles Lernen hat mit lernen gar nichts zu tun. Man sollte von diesem Begriff überhaupt ganz abkommen und es das nennen, was es ist: Statistische Parameteroptimierung. Das meinte Noel Sharkey, einer der Teilnehmer der Podiumsdiskussion … 23. Sep 2016 | By Tobias Maier | 3 comments
Spotlight on Johanna Pirker: PhD Student Researching HCI, VR, and Games Meet Johanna Pirker, one of our featured young researchers in a series about some of the women attending this year’s Heidelberg Laureate Forum in September 2016. Credit: Photo by Matthias Rauch Johanna is a PhD … 23. Sep 2016 | By Gail Carmichael | 0 comments
Sir Michael Atiyah and the Unity of Mathematics and Physics Credit: © Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation / Flemming – 2016 Sir Michael Atiyah is here at the 4th Heidelberg Laureate Forum both as a Fields Medalist (1966) and a winner of the Abel Prize (2004). … 23. Sep 2016 | By Peter Woit | 1 comment
Ratschläge für junge Mathematiker/-innen Bedeutend wird man in Mathematik (und Informatik) natürlich nicht, indem man einem bestimmten Rezept folgt. Und, ja, es ist immer wieder beeindruckend, wie oft Menschen Ratschläge bekommen und dann doch denjenigen Fehler machen, der … 23. Sep 2016 | By Markus Pössel | 0 comments
Advice to young mathematicians Becoming a great mathematician, or computer scientist, is not a matter of following career recipes. And yes, it is amazing how many people manage to listen to advice, and then go on to make the … 22. Sep 2016 | By Markus Pössel | 1 comment
