ACM News
Young Researchers: Apply for the 12th Heidelberg Laureate Forum
Young researchers are invited to apply for one of 200 coveted spots to participate in the 12th annual Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF). The invitation is open to undergraduates, graduate students and recent PhDs of mathematics and computer science (and closely related fields).
The HLF offers all accepted young researchers the great opportunity to personally meet the winners of the most prestigious prizes in their fields. For one week, recipients of the ACM A.M. Turing Award and the ACM Prize in Computing, the Abel Prize, Fields Medal, IMU Abacus Medal, and Nevanlinna Prize will engage in a cross-generational scientific dialogue with young researchers in Heidelberg, Germany.
The 11th HLF will take place from 14-19 September 2025. This prominent and versatile event combines scientific, social and outreach activities in a unique atmosphere, and is fueled by comprehensive exchange and scientific inspiration.
To be considered for participation, young researchers can either apply directly or be nominated by a colleague, professor, mentor, or manager. Applications must be submitted online by Tuesday, 11 February 2025, via the application page.
Successful candidates will be selected by an international committee of experts to ensure that the most qualified candidates are invited. Those who are accepted will be notified by the end of April 2025.
ACM TechTalk: Amanda Randles
View the recent ACM Techtalk, “Developing Vascular Digital Twins to Shift from Reactive to Proactive Care” with 2023 ACM Prize in Computing recipient Amanda Randles, Professor at Duke University.
The emergence of digital twin technology is transforming healthcare by shifting the paradigm from reactive to proactive care. These sophisticated, personalized virtual models of human physiology are especially impactful in simulating vascular systems, enabling the noninvasive diagnosis and treatment of conditions like stenosis. However, practical deployment in clinical settings faces significant challenges, such as managing vast datasets, computational complexity, and the need for real-time processing.
This talk will focus on how high-performance computing addresses these obstacles through the development of the Longitudinal Hemodynamic Mapping Framework (LHMF) and more.
ACM TechTalk: Christine Robson
View the recent ACM Techtalk, “Product Management in the AI Era” with Christine Robson, Product Manager Director for AI Data at Google.
In recent years, AI developer tools have progressed from research projects to critical parts of the developer toolset. Today, there are over 1.8 million paid subscribers to GitHub Copilot, Google reports that 50% of their code is written with AI assistance, and TabNine estimates that 5% of all code is written by AI. Researchers in the machine learning, programming languages, and software engineering communities continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, but turning promising research results into tools that are useful at scale is hard. It involves determining the right use cases, designing the right UX, evaluating and improving quality, and many other factors.
In this talk, Robson discusses how to bridge the demo-to-real-world gap via lessons learned from building several AI developer tools at GitHub, including the original GitHub Copilot, Copilot for Docs, and Copilot Workspace.
ACM ByteCast: Nashlie Sephus
In this episode of ACM ByteCast, Rashmi Mohan hosts Nashlie Sephus, Principal Tech Evangelist for Amazon AI focusing on fairness and identifying biases at AWS AI. She formerly led the Amazon Visual Search team as an Applied Scientist in Atlanta, which launched visual search for replacement parts on Amazon Shopping using technology developed at her former start-up Partpic (acquired by Amazon), where she was the CTO. She is also CEO of Bean Path, a nonprofit startup developing the Jackson Tech District, a planned community and business incubator in Jackson, Mississippi.
Here, Nashlie describes her early love for mathematics and music and how these informed her later doctoral research in digital signal processing in music data mining, shares a personal experience that deeply influenced her work in AI, which eventually led her to her current role mitigating bias at Amazon, notably in facial recognition technologies. She also discusses the importance of building diverse teams to practicing responsible AI and building sound products, the inception and growth of Partpic, and more.
Featured ACM Member: Yuki Koyama
Yuki Koyama is a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan. His research interests include computer graphics and human-computer interaction. He is especially interested in supporting designers by using computational techniques such as mathematical optimisation. In addition to his role at AIST, he also works at Graphinica, a Japanese animation studio. Koyama has published papers at several ACM conferences, including SIGGRAPH, CHI, and UIST, among others.
His honors include the JSPS Ikushi Prize (2017), Asiagraphics Young Researcher Award (2021), and IPSJ/ACM Award for Early Career Contributions to Global Research (2024).
In his interview, he discusses his interest in computer graphics and HCI, fostering advances with mathematical optimisation, developing tools to support and enhance the creative process, and more. Read Koyama’s interview here.
Featured ACM Member: Virginia Dignum
Virginia Dignum is a Professor at Umeå University focusing on Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Director of the university’s AI Policy Lab in Umeå, Sweden. Her research focuses on complex interactions and interdependencies between people, organisations, and technology. Dignum’s publications include the book “Responsible Artificial Intelligence.”
Among her volunteer activities, she is a member of the UN High Level Advisory Body on AI and Senior Advisor to the Wallenberg Foundations. Dignum was recently appointed Chair of the ACM Technology Policy Council. The ACM Technology Policy Council sets the agenda for ACM’s global policy activities and serves as the central convening point for ACM’s interactions with government organisations, the computing community, and the public in all policy matters related to information technology.
In her interview, Dignum discusses her career in responsible AI, the idea of using a social contract in the context of AI, her vision for ACM’s Technology Policy Council, and more.
