AT&T Labs' Peter Shor Named 1999 MacArthur Fellow for Potentially Transforming Computers as We Know Them Today.FLORHAM PARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 1999-- AT&T Labs today announced that Peter Shor
Experimental method of computing that makes use of quantum-mechanical phenomena. It incorporates quantum theory and the uncertainty principle. Quantum computers would allow a bit to store a value of 0 and 1 simultaneously. , the only one of 32 Fellows selected in the computing field and the only one from an industrial lab. In 1994 Shor demonstrated that quantum uncertainty could be harnessed to calculate prime factors of integers substantially faster than any known algorithm based on digital logic. His discovery demonstrates that today's public key cryptosystems - and the electronic commerce applications that depend on them - could be cracked if quantum computation becomes practical. The MacArthur Fellowship is the latest recognition Shor has received in the past year. In May, he was awarded the 1999 Goedel Prize for his paper, "Polynomial-Time Algorithms for Prime Factorization fac·tor·ize tr.v. fac·tor·ized, fac·tor·iz·ing, fac·tor·iz·es Mathematics To factor. fac and Discrete Logarithms on a Quantum Computer (computer) quantum computer - A type of computer which uses the ability of quantum systems, such as a collection of atoms, to be in many different states at once. In theory, such superpositions allow the computer to perform many different computations simultaneously. ." In August 1998, Shor received the Nevanlinna Award, the world's most prestigious award in the field of theoretical computer sciences. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, philanthropic institution founded 1978 by John D. MacArthur (1897–1978), owner of a prominent insurance company and other businesses, and his wife Catherine T. Fellows Program searches for the most creative individuals in the U.S. through 100 designated nominators in a range of academic and professional fields. MacArthur Fellows receive five years of "unrestricted, no-strings-attached" monetary stipends, ranging from $40,000-$75,000 annually. Shor will be awarded a total sum of $290,000 over this period. "The MacArthur Fellowship is the latest in a series of honors that reinforces AT&T Labs' leadership in the world of science," said Rob Calderbank, vice president of Information Sciences Research at AT&T Labs. "It is one of the highest honors an individual can receive, and we are extremely proud of Peter." Shor has been with AT&T Labs since 1986. He received a B.S. in Mathematics from Caltech, a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from M.I.T. and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), founded in 1982, is a mathematical research institution whose funding sources include the National Science Foundation. The institution is located on the hills of the University of California, Berkeley campus, and lies within the in Berkeley, California Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington. . Shor resides in New Providence, NJ with his wife Jennifer and daughter Valerie. AT&T Labs, the research and development unit of AT&T, is working to create the information services See Information Systems. and communications network of tomorrow. AT&T Labs is a leader in the development of technologies and standards for audio, speech, video and image compression; electronic commerce and digital copyright management; search and directory services; speech processing and coding of all sorts; network architecture, design, engineering and operations; and other areas critical to the advancement of new communications and Internet offerings. |
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