The Heidelberg Laureate Forum Nomination Process Open

The following is a special contribution the CRA Bulletin by ACM CEO Bobby Schnabel. 

Dear Colleague,

I’m writing to seek your help in generating awareness of and interest in the Fourth Heidelberg Laureate Forum.

The Heidelberg Laureate Forum was created by the Klaus Tschira Foundation, the Heidelberg Institute of Theoretical Studies, ACM, the International Mathematical Union, and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters to provide an opportunity for young researchers to spend a week with winners of the Turing Award, Abel Prize, Nevanlinna Prize, and Fields Medal.  To date three forums have been held (2013, 2014, and 2015), and all have been viewed as a major success by the 40 laureates and 200 young researchers in computer science and mathematics who attended each forum.  Details can be found at http://www.heidelberg-laureate-forum.org/.

The Fourth Heidelberg Laureate Forum will be held September 18-23, 2016.  Below is a copy of a one-page announcement as well as a fact sheet regarding the application process.  The application process for the 4th Heidelberg Laureate Forum began November 1, 2015.

To be considered for the Heidelberg Forum, young researchers can either apply directly www.application.heidelberg-laureate-forum.org  or be nominated by a colleague (or professor, mentor or manager) who can attest to the quality of their work.  Nominations will likely carry a bit more weight within the selection process and can be made at https://application.heidelberg-laureate-forum.org/intern/reg_nom_registration_for.php  but require ACM-specific credentials.  If you or a colleague would like to make a nomination, the ACM “Organization Number” is ACM72967.  Applications and nominations must be completed by February 3, 2016.

The selection of young researchers will be a two-step process.  In the first step the pool of applications and nominations in computer science will be screened and ranked by the ACM Heidelberg Forum Committee.  In the second stage, the top ~30% of applications/nominations will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee of the Heidelberg Forum to pick the ~200 participants.

ACM has engaged in helping create the Heidelberg Forum to raise the visibility of both the Turing Award (computing’s most prestigious award now with an annual prize of $1Million) and the computing discipline worldwide.  I hope you will share this information on the Heidelberg Forum with colleges and students … and I hope your department (or school or laboratory or center) will be the source of several applications or nominations.

Best regards,

Bobby Schnabel
ACM CEO

Download a fact sheet and poster on the Forum.