Challenging Turing 2012 : New Perspectives On Computation

PROSPECTUS

"Challenging Turing 2012" is an academic research event, with the usual peer review, aimed at celebrating Alan Turing's inquiry in the spirit of that inquiry: by the rigorous and systematic analysis of computational paradigms, their logical foundation for their own sake and their ability to characterize or reproduce behaviors in the world, including intelligent behavior.

We seek to reignite the inquiry, clarify the Challenges that Turing addressed, how Turing would view contemporary interpretations of computation, and hope to stimulate and, perhaps, make further progress. Therefore, the nature of computation is a central theme of the conference.

Alan Turing's work has been broadly influential and it is our intent that the conference attract participation across disciplines that utilize computation to characterize or reproduce natural behaviors.

The question concerning computation in biophysics, for example, is most often incorrectly stated. It is not so much "What is the computational model of biophysical behavior by current standards?" but rather Turing's Challenge that can be summarized as: "Are the current standards of computation sufficient?" and, if not, "How may we identify a computational paradigm that allows us to characterize biophysical behavior?"

Alan Turing would not have supported contemporary expectations that the standard model of computation is sufficient. He acknowledged, in particular, the issue of non-locality in what he termed "consciousness" but put the question aside in order to make progress. And, indeed, he did make progress, demonstrating that it is possible to imbue machines with aspects of our intelligence.

As a consequence the Turing model of computation has been hugely successful and has transformed modern culture, societies and the fortunes of nations. This success deserves celebration in its own right. Yet Turing fully recognized that his contribution was far from a final solution. And so in this event we seek to rekindle an interest in the hard foundational questions that Turing faced.

There will be many pedagogical events celebrating Alan Turing in 2012. Continuing his inquiry and encouraging further progress is a unique way for Stanford University and the Silicon Valley community to recognize and honor Alan Turing's contributions. We plan for the event to be held September 5th thru 7th, 2012.

I am pleased to welcome Ed Feigenbaum and Richard Fikes, both emeritus Stanford Univeristy Computer Science professors to our program committee.

We are currently reviewing the dates of the conference and are likely to reschedule to a date in October / early November in the next few days in order to schedule the conference during the Stanford University semester.

This rescheduling is in order to meet our goal of stimulating interest in Alan Turing's level of inquiry amongst faculty and the student body.

After a meeting today between the Chair of the Stanford University Mathematics Department, Steve Kerckhoff, and Sol Feferman, Whitfield Diffie and myself, I am pleased to announce that the Stanford University Mathematics Department will be one of the sponsors of "Challenging Turing 2012" and that Sol Feferman will join the committee, Chair a part of the program and help us to strenghten the program committee.

Sol has been advising me informally from the beginning of this effort, two years ago, he is one of the first people I ran the idea by, and I am pleased to welcome him to the committee.

More sponsorship news soon.

I am now gathering commitments from invited programming committee members and recently sent out the following to everyone that had expressed an interest in participating.

Currently I have program committee commitments from the following:

Program Chairs:

• Steven Ericsson-Zenith (IASE) - General Program Chair
• Whitfield Diffie (Cryptography, Stanford University) - Foundations Of Cryptography
• Solomon Feferman (Mathematics, Stanford University) - Theories Of Computation Over Arbitrary Structures
• Peter Norvig (Google) - Machine Intelligence

 Program Committee:

• S Barry Cooper (ATY Chair, University of Leeds, UK)
• Leonard Susskind (Physics, Stanford University)
• Christof Koch (Cognitive and Behavioral Biology, Caltech)
• Richard Fikes (CS, Stanford University, Emeritus)
• Dennis Allison (EE, Stanford University)
• Paul Skokowski (CSLI, Stanford University)
• Eric Weinstein (Mathematician/Economist, Natron Group)
• Eugene Miya
• Jack Copeland (Philosophy, Canterbury University, NZ)
• M. David May (Computer Science, Bristol University, UK) 
• Benjamin Wells (CS and Mathematics, University of San Francisco)
• Christof Teuscher (ECE, Portland State)
• Paul Borrill (CTO, Replicus Inc.)
• Adam Beberg - Conference Treasurer

Our goal in this program is to invite papers from the variety of researchers across disciplines that are interested in the nature of computation, especially those that utilize computation to characterize natural behaviors. 

Our emphasis is in the context of Alan Turing's inquiry and we anticipate that we will be able to structure the conference along the lines of the chronological narrative of Alan Turing's life. We hope to stimulate contributions that extend Alan Turing's inquiry in the spirit of that inquiry, the rigorous and systematic discipline that Turing embodied, and to elucidate the influences upon it. 

We will weave together the threads of this inquiry leading from mathematical foundations and the foundations of logic, to the practical characterization of natural behaviors. Naturally, therefore, we have a particular interest in the scope and limits of computational paradigms. The Thesis of Alan Turing and the Thesis of Alonzo Church are therefore of special interest.

Turing's inquiry takes a general view of "computation," it is that behavior which can be derived from mathematics. "Computation" refers here not only to the operations of stored program computers but any machinery the behavior of which can be divined by mathematical characterization. 

Driven in part by his well-known practical applications, especially in Cryptography, Turing naturally extended his inquiry to consider the implications of imbuing computing machinery with aspects of our intelligence. And, further, to the computation necessary to characterize natural behavior. 

In his 1951 paper "The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis," published a few years before his suicide, Turing moved firmly in the direction of biophysical characterization. Yet here Turing turned away from his well-known computational paradigm to differential equations that expressed a non-locality, a concurrent behavior, difficult (if possible at all) to express with collections of Turing Machines where concurrency is a second-order consideration.

One can only imagine the advances that may have been forthcoming if Alan Turing had survived. And we must wonder how many solutions to computational problems, such as those currently surrounding computational concurrency, would have been resolved.

It is our mission in this conference to reignite the spark of Turing's deep inquiry and to continue to challenge the frontiers in his name.

In attendance:

• Steven Ericsson-Zenith (Chair)
• Adam Beberg
• Todd Davies
• Paul Borrill
• Les Earnest
• Eugene Miya
• Dennis Allison

Apologies from:

• Whitfield Diffie
• Christof Teuscher 

Key developments in this meeting include:

We discussed the CFP, sponsorship by various Stanford Departments, and strengthening the program committee before public release of the CFP.

Adam Beberg is unanimously elected conference Treasurer.

The Organization Meetings for the remainder of the year will be held on:

30th November, 2011
28th December, 2011

Today's meeting was attended by:

• Steven Ericsson-Zenith (Chair)
• Peter Norvig
• Lester Earnest
• Todd Davies
• Eugene Miya
• Paul Borrill
• Adam Beberg 

Apologies received from:

• Dennis Allison
• Whit Diffie

Today was a breakthrough meeting. Peter Norvig has asked us for a funding proposal to present to Google and Lester Earnest has agreed to underwrite the event. This allows us to establish the various accounts and to engage with Stanford University Conference Services.

Dear Committee Members and Friends,

There will be an organizing committee meeting at 4:00pm in Gates 359 on Wednesday the 31st August. 

As the summer closes we have little more than 12 months to execute our plan, that should be plenty of time. In this meeting we need to review our objectives in the light of the economic necessities and constraints and make the necessary decisions to proceed.

We have the support of John Hennessy, numerous Emeritus faculty, Associates, Visitors and Independents. We have the support of Active Faculty from departments that utilize computation and have an interest in foundations, except CS. We continue to be short of critical active faculty members from Stanford CS (and EE) able to facilitate our cause. Other departments naturally look to the CS Department for leadership in this event. 

Everyone is busy, of course, but I am disappointed at the response from the Stanford CS faculty given both the central contribution that Alan Turing has made to the discipline and the clear need to make further progress and continue efforts in Computer Science at his level of inquiry. 

Please encourage your friends in CS and EE faculty to participate.

http://challengingturing.org

Separately, I will be contacting Program Committee members and Informal Advisors during September with the first draft of the Call-For-Papers. If you have thoughts about what you have seen outlined so far then please send them to me by email. I am on campus frequently so if you wish to talk about the conference privately or just swap notes on Alan Turing then I am happy to come to your office.

With respect,

Steven Ericsson-Zenith
on behalf of the Organizing Committee, Challenging Turing 2012

(download)

Click here to download:

alan-turing-99th-birthday-party-stanford-university-eiwuowIxwICuqpqDaurw.zip (27.52 MB)

In attendance: Steven Ericsson-Zenith, Dennis Allison, Eugene Miya, Whitfield Diffie, Les Earnest, Paul Borrill, Carl Hewitt, Blaine Garst, Nathaniel Garst, Adam Beberg.

Alan Turing was born June 23rd, 1912. 

During his short life he invented the stored program computer, became the first computational biologist and made contributions to cryptography that significantly shortened the conflict of WWII. In terms of the social impact of science, his contribution to the 20th Century is paralleled by few others, perhaps Einstein alone. Alan Turing's contribution changed everything, for everyone. No one is untouched by it. 

Few of us are given the opportunity to make such a contribution, fewer still the opportunity and the ability to succeed. Alan Turing's vision of computation, machine intelligence and related questions pervade all scientific disciplines. He addressed questions as relevant to Logicians as they are Biologists and Neurophysiologists:

"The whole thinking process is still rather mysterious to us, but I believe that the attempt to make a thinking machine will help us greatly in finding out how we think ourselves." Alan Turing, 1951.

We will be celebrating Alan Turing's birthday and his visionary spirit with some cake at Stanford University tomorrow from 3:00-5:00 in the Gates Fujitsu Lounge (4th Floor).

Please join us. 

With respect,

Steven Ericsson-Zenith

Program Chair, Challenging Turing 2012 (http://challengingturing.org)
on behalf of the Organizing Committee.

--
Dr. Steven Ericsson-Zenith
Institute for Advanced Science & Engineering
http://senses.info

Alan Turing took his own life and was found dead on June 8th, 1954. He had been found guilty of homosexual activity and punished by chemical castration. 

At the start of WWII Turing broke the Enigma Code that the German high-command used to communicate with the UBoats blockading the British Isles at the time. His contribution to the successful conclusion of the war is incalculable. 

Two years ago, the British government finally apologized for the injustice of his treatment. We are left to wonder what he would have achieved if he had survived.

We will be paying our respects to Alan Turing in a small local gathering at 4:00pm in Gates 200 on Wednesday (tomorrow) afternoon, the 8th. You are welcome to join us.

Today's meeting was attended by

• Steven Ericsson-Zenith
• Dennis Allison
• Eugene Miya
• Whitfield Diffie
• Les Earnest
• Peter Norvig
• Todd Davies
• Adam Beberg
• Paul Borrill
• Suzanne Rose Bennett

I will post minutes later. Today's meeting was recorded on audio. We decided to convene an early meeting in two weeks since we are at a critical point for the assembly of funding and the organizational structure. Steven Ericsson-Zenith and Dennis Allison, in the interim, will write up a budget and revised conference plan and prospectus.

Jack Copeland, a Challenging Turing 2012 Program Committee member, presents Alan Turing's contribution to world history with an explanation of the role that Cryptography has played in the development of reasoning about natural behaviors.

Dear Committee Members and Friends,

If you are on the program committee or an informal advisor you are receiving this email as a courtesy. Obviously, you may attend the organizational meetings if you wish.

The next organizational meeting for "Challenging Turing 2012" is Wednesday (27th) at The Gates Building, Room 300 from 2:30pm to 4:00pm. 

This month we have three major items on the agenda:

1. Conference proceedings and other publications associated with the conference. 

2. Conference and peripheral funding, and financial structure of the conference entity (ACM and others).

3. Current thoughts on the structure of the conference (including CHM).

We will also give an update on progress this past month from more informal meetings.

Minutes of past meetings and program committee progress can be found on the website:

http://challengingturing.org

We continue to seek firm commitments from everyone that expressed an interest in joining the program committee. If there is someone that you think should be included then please either send us a note or refer them to the website.

If you are remote and wish to call into this meeting via Skype audio then please send Steven a note.

With respect,

Steven Ericsson-Zenith, Dennis Allison and Eugene Miya

The following is a report of the formal and informal organizational meetings since January.

PEOPLE:

The organization committee consists of:

Steven Ericsson-Zenith - Interim General Chair (We'd like to find a Stanford luminary to take this role)

Dennis Allison

Eugene Miya

Whitfield Diffie

Vaughan Pratt

Paul Borrill

S Barry Cooper

Carl Hewitt

Todd Davies

Meetings have been attended by representatives from:

Stanford University Conference Services

ACM (John White ACM CEO)

The Computer History Museum (Dag Spicer)

ITEMS: 

1. The Structure of the Conference.

The proposal that has evolved through these meetings is that the conference will be a linear format over three days running from the 5th to the 7th of September 2012, with 4 to 8 slots for formal papers during each day possibly preceded by tutorial presentations providing important background for the following papers. We will invite papers from key researchers and also issue a general Call For Papers. All papers, including invited papers, will be reviewed and formally accepted by the program committee.

Two evening sessions on the 5th and 7th will be held for brief presentations of current advanced research. These will be compressed sessions consisting of up to ten slots each.

A banquet will be held on the evening of the 6th, followed by a keynote speaker and/or a panel discussion.

There may also be a showing of a new documentary about Alan Turing's life.

2. Media proposal.

We propose to record the informal discussions that surround the event both at the conference itself and in the various meetings that lead up to it. This recording will be conducted only with the recorded permission of the individuals involved (the wording of this permission TBD).

Steven Ericsson-Zenith and Dennis Allison have signed up to complete the post-production of this material in a form for presentation on the web and more formal publication elsewhere.

3. Funding.

The ACM, through John White, has expressed a strong interest in supporting the conference and in publishing the proceedings of the conference. This agreement needs to be closed.

Steven Ericsson-Zenith and Dennis Allison have had informal discussions with several interested parties and generally feel that the event will gain the support it needs to execute the stated plans.

The financial structure of the event has been discussed and we need to identify a Conference Financial Officer.

Funding is required for logistical support.

4. Logistics

Stanford University Conference Services are developing a proposal for our consideration. We have asked them to consider the Turing Hall, the site of the original Computer Science Department at Stanford University. They will report in due course.

5. Additional notes:

The Computer History Museum is collaborating and is going to do something. CHM is potentially the site of the conference Banquet: agreement to be closed.

I can announce that Whitfield Diffie has agreed to Chair the Cryptography Sessions of our conference. Dennis, Eugene and I had a great meeting today with Whit. I will be publishing a summary of our meetings over the past few months shortly, including details of our revised structure.

The next formal meeting of the Organizing Committee for the Challenging Turing conference will be held March 30th at 2:00PM in the Gates Building in Room 359 on the Stanford Campus.

I expect to have a firm vision at this meeting for the Cryptography part of our efforts and to announce a leading member of the Cryptography community as the Session or Program Chair for Cryptography. Dennis and I are meeting this coming Wednesday to work out how to fit this into our agreed format.

Going forward we will be holding progress meetings on the last Wednesday of each month. Tomorrow's meeting will be held on Stanford Campus at the Gates Computer Science Building in Room 259 from 14:30 to 16:00. 

Since early January we have explored the structure and expansion of our effort as a part of the Alan Turing Year international events. Tomorrow the agenda includes:

1. Forming the program committee for "Challenging Turing."
2. Full structure and scope of the conference.
3. A firm date for the conference in September 2012.

Regards,

Dennis Allison and Steven Ericsson-Zenith