ACM MemberNet - Winter 2025

February 13, 2025

ACM Names 2024 Fellows

ACM has named 55 members ACM Fellows for significant contributions in areas including computer graphics, cybersecurity, human-computer interaction, data management, machine learning, artificial intelligence, algorithms, visualization, and many more. The ACM Fellows program recognizes the top 1% of ACM Members for their outstanding accomplishments in computing and information technology and/or outstanding service to ACM and the larger computing community. Learn more here.

ACM Names 2024 Distinguished Members

ACM has named 56 Distinguished Members for their impact in the field. All of the 2024 inductees are registered members of the prestigious scholarly society and were selected by their peers for significant technical achievements as well as volunteer service to their professional community. The ACM Distinguished Member program recognizes up to 10 percent of the worldwide ACM membership based on professional experience and significant achievements in computing beyond the norm. Learn more here.

ACM Reaffirms Its Commitment to Our Mission and Core Values

ACM is aware that many in our community are concerned about potential negative effects of recent Executive Orders by the new US Administration on our work in both the US and globally. This includes concerns about p ossible consequences for ACM publishing, conferences, education, and practitioner efforts, as well as concerns about possible harms to our work on inclusion for a strong and diverse technology workforce.

ACM reaffirms its commitment to our mission and core values in all our scientific and educational activities. This includes global scientific and educational efforts dedicated to advancing the art, science, engineering, and application of computing. We will continue to serve both professional and public interests by fostering the open exchange of information and by promoting the highest professional and ethical standards.

ACM’s commitment to its mission, guided by its core values, is unchanged. We will work with members of the community to understand how new Executive Orders may affect their work as it relates to scientific, educational, and community development efforts.

ACM PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

National Medal of Science Awarded to ACM Fellow Cynthia Dwork

ACM Fellow Cynthia Dwork, a Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University, is among the 14 recipients of the National Medal of Science presented by President Joe Biden on January 3. She was recognized for her contributions to cryptography, distributed computing, algorithmic fairness, and differential privacy. Dwork was previously awarded the 30-Year Test-of-Time Award at the 2022 ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, the 2021 Paris Kanellakis Award, and shared the 2007 Edsger W. Dijkstra Prize in Distributed Computing. Read more here.

Michel Beaudouin-Lafon Elected to French Academy of Sciences

ACM Fellow and ACM Europe Technology Policy Council Chair Michel Beaudouin-Lafon has been elected to the French Academy of Sciences. Beaudouin-Lafon was elected for his research which aims to understand the human use of computers in order to simplify and improve human-computer interaction. He is a long-time active ACM volunteer, has served on the ACM Publications Board, been very active in SIGCHI, and was elected to the CHI Academy. He was also one of the founding members of the ACM Europe Council. Read more here.

AWARDS & MEMBER RECOGNITION

Call for ACM Award Nominations

Each year, ACM recognizes technical and professional achievements within the computing and information technology community through its celebrated Awards Program. ACM welcomes nominations for candidates whose work exemplifies the best and most influential contributions to our community, and seeks your help in expanding and diversifying the nomination pool for our ACM Awards. Please take a moment to consider those people in your community who may be suitable for nomination. Refer to the award nominations page for links to individual award pages, where you will find nomination requirements, deadlines, and Award Subcommittee Members. Nominations for most awards are due December 15, 2025. Other deadlines: ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award, March 1, 2025; Gordon Bell Prize, ACM Gordon Bell Prize for Climate Modeling, April 15, 2025; ACM-IEEE CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowship, May 1, 2025; ACM-IEEE CS Ken Kennedy Award, June 30, 2025; Senior Members, March 3, 2025; Distinguished Members, Aug 1, 2025; Fellows, Sept 7, 2025.

PUBLIC POLICY

Europe TPC Comments on European Commission Call for Evidence Survey

On January 15, the Europe Technology Policy Committee released Comments in Response to European Commission Call for Evidence Survey on “Second Draft General Purpose AI Code of Practice for Providers of Models With Systemic Risk." the Europe TPC supports the European Commission’s aim to establish a guiding document for providers of general-purpose AI models when demonstrating compliance with the AI Act along the full life cycle of the models with systemic risk, through four Working Groups working in close collaboration with a pool of experts.

Europe TPC Comments on Artificial Intelligence Act

In December 2024, the Europe Technology Policy Committee released Comments in Response to European Commission Call for Evidence Survey on “Guidelines on the Application of the Definition of an Ai System and the Prohibited AI Practices Established in the AI Act.” The Artificial Intelligence Act which entered into force on 1 August 2024, improves the internal market by laying down harmonized rules for trustworthy and human-centric artificial intelligence in the EU. It aims to promote innovation and uptake of AI, while ensuring a high level of protection of health, safety, and fundamental rights, including democracy and the rule of law.

Europe TPC Comments on Digital Services Act

On December 9, 2024, the Europe Technology Policy Committee released Comments In Response to the Draft Delegated Regulation on Data Access Provided for in the Digital Services Act. The Europe TPC broadly agrees with the provisions of the regulation set out in the draft act. The procedures and technical conditions appear well-considered and identify the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders involved, including the researchers, data providers, and Digital Services Coordinators.

PUBLISHING NEWS

TOPML Releases Inaugural Issue

ACM Transactions on Probabilistic Machine Learning (TOPML) focuses on probabilistic methods that learn from data to improve performance on decision-making or prediction tasks under uncertainty. Optimization, decision-theoretic or information-theoretic methods are within the remit if they are underpinned by a probabilistic structure. The journal welcomes theoretical, methodological, and applied contributions. Purely theoretical contributions are of interest if they introduce novel methodology. Methodological and applied contributions are of interest provided that proposed probabilistic approaches are motivated and empirically corroborated by non-trivial examples or applications. Multidisciplinary approaches with a probabilistic structure are within the scope.

Call for Nominations: Editor-in-Chief, ACM Books

The ACM Publications Board is seeking an Editor-in-Chief for ACM Books. The ACM Publications Board relies on the Books Editor-in-Chief to ensure that the exceptional quality standards of the series are maintained, that the editorial process is both timely and fair, and that the pipeline of new books is sufficient to support the future publication schedule. Nominations are invited for a three-year term as ACM Books Editor-in-Chief beginning on May 1, 2025. Nominations deadline: March 15, 2025. Learn more here.

ACM Peer Reviewer Training and Certification

The expertise of ACM’s peer reviewers is integral to ensuring that sound and high-quality research is published at ACM. If you are interested in getting involved and becoming a peer reviewer for an ACM publication, we encourage you to participate in the recently launched ACM Peer Reviewer Training and Certification course. This course offers valuable insights for seasoned reviewers as well as those new to the process, and we encourage all members of the ACM community to make use of this valuable new resource. Become an ACM Certified Reviewer today!

acmqueue: "The Price of Intelligence"

Mark Russinovich and his Microsoft colleagues describe the three risks inherent in LLMs: hallucination, prompt injection, and jailbreaks. These problems are inherent, certainly in the present generation of models and likely in LLMs per se, and their approach is not based on eliminating them. They instead suggest strategies of "defense in depth" to mitigate them. Read the full article here.

New ACM Books

In the last decade, deep learning and word embeddings have made significant impacts on information retrieval (IR) by adding techniques based in neural networks and language models. At the same time, certain search modalities such as neural IR and conversational search have become more popular. Information Retrieval: Advanced Topics and Techniques, written by international academic and industry experts and edited by Omar Alonso and Ricardo Baeza-Yates, brings the field of up to date with detailed discussions of these new approaches and techniques.

The Seymour Cray Era of Supercomputers: From Fast Machines to Fast Codes by Boelie Elzen and Donald Mackenzie describes the development and use of supercomputers in the period 1960–1996, a time that can be called the Seymour Cray Era. For more than three decades, Cray’s computer designs were seen as the yardstick against which all other efforts were measured. This book is important reading for anyone working in the area of high-performance computing, providing essential historical context for the work of a legendary pioneer and the computers he became famous for designing.

ACM Open Update

Last year, the number of ACM Open participating institutions more than doubled, and the rate of institutions transitioning is accelerating. We expect approximately 2,000 universities, government research institutions, and corporations will be actively participating in the new program by 2026. The list of ACM Open participating institutions is available here. View our new interactive map to see ACM Open’s global impact and track the number of participants.

SIG NEWS & AWARDS

2025 Candidate Slate Announcement

In accordance with ACM Bylaw 6, the following SIGs will hold elections in 2025: SIGAI, SIGBED, SIGCOMM, SIGCSE, SIGEVO, SIGHPC, SIGIR SIGKDD, SIGMIS, SIGMOBILE, SIGMOD, SIGMM, SIGSAC, AND SIGSAM. ACM’s Policy and Procedures on SIG Elections require that those SIGs holding elections notify their membership of candidates for elected offices. Additional candidates may be placed on the ballot by petition. All candidates must be ACM Professional Members, as well as members of the SIG. Anyone interested in petitioning must inform ACM Headquarters, Pat Ryan ([email protected]) and the Secretary of the SIG of their intent to petition by March 14, 2025. Petitions must be submitted to ACM Headquarters for verification April 1, 2025. Learn more here.

CHI 2025 Registration is Now Open

Registration for CHI 2025 is now open! The ACM CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is the premier international conference of human-computer interaction. The event will take place in Yokohama, Japan, at the PACIFICO Yokohama from April 26 to May 1, 2025, while also supporting remote attendance. The early registration deadline is April 5, 2025. You can register here.

SIGEnergy 2025 Awards Announced

The ACM Special Interest Group on Energy Systems and Informatics has announced its major 2024 awards, including the ACM eEnergy Test of Time Paper Award, SIGEnergy Rising Star Award, and SIGEnergy Doctoral Dissertation Award. Learn more here.

SIGCSE 2025 Award Recipients Announced

The Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education Board has announced the recipients of 2025 ACM SIGCSE Awards, including: Mitchel Resnick (Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education), Manuel A Pérez-Quiñones (Distinguished Service to the Computer Science Education Community), Jonathan Mwaura (Broadening Participation in Computing Education), and Matthew C. Jadud (Test of Time Award) for the paper, "Methods and Tools for Exploring Novice Compilation Behaviour." Learn more here.

SIGSIM 2024 Award Recipients Announced

Professor Simon Taylor from Brunel University received the 2024 Distinguished Contribution Award at the Winter Simulation Conference 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The award recognizes his numerous contributions to the ACM Special Interest Group on Simulation and Modeling and the broader community. Taylor will be the General Chair for next year’s Winter Simulation Conference in Seattle, Washington. The Best ACM SIGSIM PhD Paper Award was bestowed on Pavithra Sripathanallur Murali from George Mason University. Learn more here.

Best Paper Awards Given at Recent ACM SIG Conferences

ACM's Special Interest Groups (SIGs) regularly cite outstanding individuals for their contributions in 37 distinct technological fields. Some awards presented (or to be presented) at conferences:

You can find them all here.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Celebrating Technology Leaders: An Inside Look at ACM-W Professional Chapters

While ACM-W is widely known for its supportive network within research education, did you know there is a growing global community of Professional Chapters for women in tech? View "A Look at ACM-W Professional Chapters: Local Leadership, Global Connection," featuring the newly formed Professionals Chapter Committee (Bettinga Blair, Laura Dillon, Wendy Chen, and Asegul Hulus), who discuss the purpose and importance of Professional Chapters, how professional women can benefit from this unique opportunity, and more.

Words Matter

As part of ACM’s efforts to combat exclusion in the computing profession, ACM's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council has launched an effort to replace offensive or exclusionary terminology in the computing field. They have developed a list of computing terms to be avoided in professional writing and presentations and offer alternative language. The Council has recently expanded the list and invites the community to submit suggestions for consideration.

MEMBERSHIP

Featured Member Benefit: Travel Discount Program

Are you planning for spring break vacation? ACM is pleased to offer exclusive hotel, car rental and entertainment discounts to our members through Local Hospitality. Vacation rental properties are also now available! Save time and money on your next trip by visiting the ACM Travel Discount Program page.

LEARNING PROGRAMS

ACM ByteCast Interviews

ACM ByteCast is a podcast series from ACM’s Practitioner Board in which hosts Rashmi Mohan, Bruke Kifle, Scott Hanselman, Sabrina Hsueh, and Harald Störrle interview researchers, practitioners, and innovators who are at the intersection of computing research and practice. In each monthly episode, guests will share their experiences, the lessons they’ve learned, and their own visions for the future of computing. Recent ByteCast interviews include:

Alvin Wang Graylin, Global VP of Corporate Development at HTC, describes his early introduction to technology and computers after immigrating to the US from China and later working at the first VR-focused research lab outside the military at the University of Washington, highlights some of his pioneering contributions to the consumer PC, mobile, and internet industries in China, including helping establish Intel’s China office, and more.
Jennifer Chayes, Dean of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society at UC Berkeley shares her early experience as the child of Iranian immigrants, her journey from being a pre-med biology major to a PhD in mathematical physics, how her love of theory and an interest in interdisciplinary work led her to start a Theory Group at Microsoft Research, and more.
Roger Dannenberg, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, Art & Music at Carnegie Mellon University, traces his two lifelong passions for computer science and music, his fascination with the connection between sound, mathematics, and physics, discusses the promise of AI in music, especially for enhancing creativity and live performance, and more.
Xin Luna Dong, Principal Scientist at Meta Reality Labs, shares how early experiences growing up in China sparked her interest in computing, and how her PhD experience in data integration lay the groundwork for future work with knowledge graphs, and more.

Listen to ACM ByteCast interviews here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Featured TechTalks

ACM members and non-members alike are welcome to attend our popular series of free TechTalks by expert industry professionals, distinguished ACM award laureates, and visionary researchers from industry and academia. Recent TechTalks include:

Hugging Face has transformed the landscape of AI development and deployment. In "Unlock Hugging Face: Simplify AI with Transformers, LLMs, RAG, Fine-Tuning," Wei-Meng Lee, Founder of Developer Learning Solutions, uncovers how Hugging Face simplifies machine learning workflows, empowering developers and researchers to achieve more with less effort.
In "Testing the System: A Holistic Approach to Security in Systems Development," Scott Tilley, Emeritus Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology, explores a systems-oriented perspective on testing, drawing on concepts of risk management, security frameworks, and the interplay between human and technical elements of cybersecurity.
In "From Research to Reality: Building Production-Ready LLM Apps Users Can Trust," Rush Shahani, CTO and Co-Founder of Persana AI, presents battle-tested strategies for building trustworthy LLM applications, with a special focus on RAG pipelines, chatbots, and AI agents.
In "Product Management in the AI Era," Christine Robson, Product Manager Director for AI Data at Google, 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.

Find our entire archive of TechTalks here.

EDUCATION

ACM Europe: Call for Proposals for Seasonal Schools in 2025

The ACM Europe Council invites proposals for the organization of seasonal schools in 2025 under the ACM Europe umbrella. Proposals will be evaluated based on the educational merits and organizational and financial plans. This call has a deadline of February 25, 2025. See here for submissions guidelines.

Call for Submissions: ACM EngageCSEdu

Did you know that the ACM Education Board has a special project that allows you to share outstanding instructional materials from your classes? EngageCSEdu publishes high-quality, engaging, classroom-tested Open Educational Resources (OERs) for computer science education. OERs published by ACM EngageCSEdu are included in the ACM Digital Library as part of the ACM Teaching Materials for Computing Collection.

Generative AI Use in Community College Computing Programs

ACM2Y, a group for those interested in computing education in two-year program, is hosting an online Birds of a Feather session for community college computing educators to discuss the use of generative AI in their classrooms and programs. The session will take place via Zoom, February 18, 12:00 pm ET (05:00 UTC). Topics include student use of gen AI in both approved and unapproved ways, as well as instructor use of AI. Come share your own experiences, ideas, and challenges with AI, and learn from the experiences of others.

STUDENT NEWS

Upcoming ACM Student Research Competitions: Submission Deadlines

ACM Student Research Competitions (SRCs) offer a unique forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present their original research at well-known ACM-sponsored and co-sponsored conferences before a panel of judges and attendees. The most recent SRC winners were presented at POPL 2025. The next conferences accepting submissions are:

ESEC/FSE 2025, June 23-27, 2025, deadline February 14, 2025
PROGRAMMING 2025, June 2-6, 2025, deadline February 15, 2025
TAPIA 2025, September 10-12, 2025, deadline March 3, 2025
PLDI 2025, June 16-20, 2025, deadline March 14, 2025
SIGGRAPH 2025, August 10-14, 2025, deadline April 24, 2025

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS PROGRAM

ACM Distinguished Speaker: Cristiano I. Malossi

Cristiano I. Malossi is Principal Research Scientist and Manager at the IBM Research Laboratory in Zurich. Since 2021, Malossi has been the global research lead for Visual Inspection. Cristiano’s team owns the design and development of IBM One Click Learning (OCL), a research-industry platform that leverages deep learning and advanced computer vision methods to accelerate and improve accuracy in critical inspection tasks. His lectures include "The Future of Visual Inspection for Civil Infrastructure." For more information about Malossi, please visit his DSP speaker information page.

All speakers are available through ACM's ACM Distinguished Speaker Program.

Celebrate Black History Month with ACM

From groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence to advancements in cybersecurity, Black computing leaders have consistently expanded the boundaries of what’s possible, often overcoming systemic challenges to do so. This month and beyond, we invite you to revisit some of our past ByteCast interviews with Black computing pioneers including Nashlie Sephus, Jelani Nelson, Yaw Anokwa, Denae Ford, and Ayanna Howard.

ACM CAREER & JOB CENTER

The Ultimate Career Development Destination

Connecting with the right employers in computing can be a daunting task. The ACM Career & Job Center is a true career planning destination. Whether you are seeking Career Insights, Career Advice, or Career Coaching, ACM can help.

Read past issues of MemberNet online in our archive.

Is there a person, event, or issue you'd like to see covered? Please email [email protected].

ACM MemberNet - Winter 2025