Alan Matheson Turing who was born in 1912 is now widely accepted as one of the most important founders of both theoretical and practical computing.Turing's work was the basis for many areas of computing research and development that are still on-going. The Gibbons lectures for 2012 will involve local speakers discussing four topics in the rough order of Turing's involvement during his lifetime.
- Apr 26: Alan Turing and the Unsolvable Problem: To Halt or Not to Halt - That is the Question by Prof Cristian S. Calude. Professor Calude from our department will talk on the Theory of Computing, the first area for which Turing is renowned and where Cristian has made many contributions himself.
- May 3: Alan Turing and the Secret Cyphers: Breaking the German Codes at Bletchley Park by Prof Jack Copeland. Professor Copeland from the University of Canterbury, is one of the world's leading experts on Turing and will address Turing's secret involvement with Cryptanalysis during WW2. Note: This talk has been pre-recorded and will be webcast only.
- May 10: Alan Turing and the Computing Engine: Turing's achievements in practical computing by Professor Brian Carpenter & Professor Bob Doran. Turing emerged from the war with a burning interest in building a practical electronic computer - this is covered in the third talk by Professors Carpenter and Doran of our department who have had a long interest in the origins of computing.
- May 17: Alan Turing and the Artificial Brain: The Development of Artificial Intelligence by Associate Professor Ian Watson of our department. As computers started to become available Turing turned his interest to using them to perform intellectual tasks rather than just calculation. He is recognized as the founder of Artificial Intelligence - the subject to be covered in this final lecture.
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