Moshe Y. Vardi, the Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology at Rice University, has received the 2017 ACM Presidential Award.
Vardi is recognized for transforming Communications of the ACM, the monthly journal of the Association for Computing Machinery, into the computing field’s preeminent print and online magazine.
“The magazine serves as a public square in which ACM members from different disciplines and regions read about the most recent developments in computing, offer their viewpoints and stay connected. During his tenure, Moshe has transformed Communications of the ACM into a publication that is essential, accessible and enjoyable,” said Vicki L. Hanson, president of ACM.
Communications of the ACM was founded in 1958 and has a worldwide circulation of almost 100,000. Vardi became editor-in-chief in 2008. Working with ACM’s editorial board and staff, Hanson said, Vardi broadened the magazine’s editorial focus to present a global view of the computing community. Communications includes industry news, commentary, analyses of real-world applications, technology overviews and articles on computing research accessible to a broad audience.
Vardi is cited by ACM for “leveraging the latest technologies to expand the magazine’s worldwide audience. He initiated and oversaw the development of the Communications website, digital edition and mobile apps— all of which have significantly increased the magazine’s readership and influence.”
Vardi earned his Ph.D. in computer science from Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1981. After two tenures as a research scientist for IBM Research and continued work at Stanford University, Vardi joined the Rice faculty in 1993. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is his second Presidential Award from the ACM, and he also received its Edgar F. Codd Innovations Award.
ACM will honor Vardi at its annual Awards Banquet on June 24 in San Francisco.
Patrick Kurp, Engineering Communications