BCS FACS - Alan Turing : The Founder of Computer Science

Date/Time: Thursday 5 June 2014, 6.00pm - 9.00pm



Speaker: Jonathan P. Bowen - Birmingham City University


Alan Mathison Turing(1912-1954), OBE, FRS, has a rightful claim to the title of father of modern computing. He laid the theoretical groundwork for a universal machine that models a computer in its most general form before World War II. During the war, Turing was instrumental in developing and influencing actual computing devices that have been said to have shortened the war by up to two years by decoding encrypted enemy messages that were believed by others to be unbreakable. Unlike some theoreticians, he was willing to be involved with practical aspects, and was as happy to wield a soldering iron as he was to wrestle with a mathematical problem, normally from a unique angle compared to others.

This talk explores Alan Turing’s life, achievements, and legacy, in the month of the 60th anniversary after his death (on 7th June 1954).

PDF Icon Presentation - Jonathan Bowen

Jonathan's talk at Gresham College