Professor Elisa Bertino elected vice president of the Association for Computing Machinery
06-02-2022
Professor Elisa Bertino
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Supporting research in emerging technologies and applications within computing will be one of the focuses of Purdue professor and newly-elected Vice President of the ACM.
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has announced the election of new officers who will lead the organization for a two-year term beginning July 1. Elected as Vice President, Elisa Bertino, Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University will join newly-elected President, Yannis Ioannidis, Professor of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of Athens, Greece and Secretary/Treasurer, John West, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
Elisa Bertino, Samuel D. Conte Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University shares her priorities for the organization going forward. “I would like to see ACM serve the field in a broad and multidisciplinary way,” she said. “Our goals should also include broadening diversity in our field, supporting younger researchers, and fostering more open access to ACM’s resources. Last, but not least, we must make sure that ACM stays technically relevant by organizing workshops and conferences on emerging technologies and applications."
Bertino was named an ACM Fellow for contributions to secure database systems. Within the data security and privacy field, she is especially known for pioneering innovations in context-based access control and data protection from insider threats. Her recent work focuses on security of cellular networks and IoT systems. In 2020, Bertino was elected to the ACM Executive Council as Secretary/Treasurer. She also served as Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control (SIGSAC) from 2009-2013 and co-founded the ACM Conference on Data and Application Security and Privacy (ACM CODASPY). The conference started in 2011 and has become the main forum for high-quality research on data privacy and security.
President-elect Ioannidis said he will use his experience from earlier volunteer positions to help ACM strengthen its leadership role, keep its finger on the pulse of the evolving needs of the computing community and expand its services. In addition, he plans to focus on five key areas including: expanding the footprint of ACM to foster more interdisciplinary areas; facilitating Open Science methods; prioritizing social responsibility; joining forces with other organizations to address global challenges; and recalibrating ACM for the next generation.
“In the area of social responsibility, we hope to promote ACM’s Code of Ethics more widely,” Ioannidis explained. “Because of the enormous impact that computing has, we will also find new ways to advise policymakers on cutting-edge technologies that may have significant consequences on society. In our digital age, we need to be mindful of how computing technology may pose threats to democracy, increase inequality, and result in a potential loss of privacy. We are in an exciting and transformational time in computing. ACM can become the leading voice for the application of technological innovation within clear ethical boundaries.”
John West, ACM’s newly elected Secretary/Treasurer, believes ACM is well positioned to advocate for the ethical use of technology. “The pace of change in our profession, as in society, is dramatic,” West said. “We face intense and exciting technical challenges as we create the tools of a new generation. As ethical professionals we also have the obligation to address important questions about who benefits from these tools, and who may be left behind.”
An expert in high performance computing, West is responsible for ensuring that the Texas Advanced Computing Center provides the right mix of technology and expertise to enable its tens of thousands of users to make new scientific discoveries across hundreds of scientific disciplines. West is currently Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing (SIGHPC), having previously served as Vice Chair. West also served as founding Co-Chair of ACM's Diversity and Inclusion Council and has held leadership roles with ACM conferences and on ACM editorial boards.
About ACM
ACM is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession’s collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.
About the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University
Founded in 1962, the Department of Computer Science was created to be an innovative base of knowledge in the emerging field of computing as the first degree-awarding program in the United States. The department continues to advance the computer science industry through research. US News & Reports ranks Purdue CS #20 and #18 overall in graduate and undergraduate programs respectively, ninth in both software engineering and cybersecurity, 13th in programming languages, 17th in computing systems, 22nd in theory, and 24th in artificial intelligence. Graduates of the program are able to solve complex and challenging problems in many fields. Our consistent success in an ever-changing landscape is reflected in the record undergraduate enrollment, increased faculty hiring, innovative research projects, and the creation of new academic programs. The increasing centrality of computer science in academic disciplines and society, and new research activities - centered around data science, artificial intelligence, programming languages, theoretical computer science, machine learning, and cybersecurity - are the future focus of the department. cs.purdue.edu
Writer, Media contact: Jim Ormond, ACM Communications, ormond@hq.acm.org
Sources: Elisa Bertino, bertino@purdue.edu