Heidelberg Laureate Forum
The mathematics of disease: A discussion about epidemic modeling in the pandemic era
“All models are wrong, but some models are useful,” epidemiologists sometimes say. Their old aphorism has certainly been proven right during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mathematical models of the spread of the coronavirus have often been …
Heidelberg Laureate Forum
Von der Gefräßigkeit der Spitzmäuse und der Dauer des menschlichen Lebens
Es war im Jahre 1962. Mit der damals neuen Substanz Lysergsäurediethylamid (LSD) durfte man noch experimentieren, und die Psychologen Louis J. West und Chester M. Pierce aus Oklahoma City versuchten mit ihrer Hilfe jenem seltsamen …
Heidelberg Laureate Forum
How Human Connection Drives the Scientific Process
A somewhat surprising theme emerged during the “Scientific Vocation Revisited – Can Future Discoveries be Made by Artificial Intelligence?” session at the 8th Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF). The session featured panelists Jeffrey A. Dean (ACM …
Heidelberg Laureate Forum
From privacy to CO2 emissions: the implications of information technology
Information technology seems to be playing an ever-growing role in our society. But while the positive effects are clear to see, the potential pervasive effects are not always as obvious. In a #HLF21 dialogue that …
Heidelberg Laureate Forum
What does the future of math and computing hold?
On the final day of the 2021 Heidelberg Laureate Forum a panel of laureates convened to discuss “Advances in Computer Science, Mathematics and Computing.” The panel included Vint Cerf (2004 Turing Award), Yoshua Bengio (2018 …
Heidelberg Laureate Forum
“Whether you’re a young or an old researcher – keep learning and enjoy it!”
Those were the memorable words with which Alfred Vaino Aho ended his #HLF21 dialogue with Jeffrey David Ullman. The two 2020 ACM A.M. Turing Award laureates sat down for an informal talk, which was initiated …