Lenore Blum
Encyclopedia
Lenore Blum is a distinguished professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. She received her Ph.D. in mathematics
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1968. Her dissertation was on Generalized Algebraic Structures and her advisor was Gerald Sacks
. She then went to the University of California at Berkeley as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in Mathematics. In 1973 she joined the faculty of Mills College
where in 1974 she founded the Mathematics and Computer Science
Department (serving as its Head or co-Head for 13 years). In 1979 she was awarded the first Letts-Villard Chair at Mills.
In 1983 Blum won an NSF CAREER award to work with Michael Shub for two years at the CUNY Graduate Center
. They worked on secure random number generators and evaluating rational functions, see Blum Blum Shub. In 1987 she spent a year at IBM
. In 1989 she published an important paper with Michael Shub and Stephen Smale
on NP completeness, recursive functions
and universal Turing machine
s, see Blum–Shub–Smale machine. In 1990 she gave an address at the International Congress of Mathematicians
on computational complexity theory
and real computation
.
In 1992 Blum became the deputy director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
, otherwise known as MSRI. After visiting the City University of Hong Kong
for a year, she moved to her current position at Carnegie Mellon in 1999.
In 2002 she was selected to be a Noether Lecturer.
Lenore Blum is married to Manuel Blum
and mother of Avrim Blum
. All three are MIT alumni and professors of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1968. Her dissertation was on Generalized Algebraic Structures and her advisor was Gerald Sacks
Gerald Sacks
Gerald Sacks is a logician who holds a joint appointment at Harvard University as a Professor of Mathematical Logic and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Professor Emeritus. His most important contributions have been in recursion theory...
. She then went to the University of California at Berkeley as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in Mathematics. In 1973 she joined the faculty of Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
where in 1974 she founded the Mathematics and Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
Department (serving as its Head or co-Head for 13 years). In 1979 she was awarded the first Letts-Villard Chair at Mills.
In 1983 Blum won an NSF CAREER award to work with Michael Shub for two years at the CUNY Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
. They worked on secure random number generators and evaluating rational functions, see Blum Blum Shub. In 1987 she spent a year at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. In 1989 she published an important paper with Michael Shub and Stephen Smale
Stephen Smale
Steven Smale a.k.a. Steve Smale, Stephen Smale is an American mathematician from Flint, Michigan. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1966, and spent more than three decades on the mathematics faculty of the University of California, Berkeley .-Education and career:He entered the University of...
on NP completeness, recursive functions
Recursion (computer science)
Recursion in computer science is a method where the solution to a problem depends on solutions to smaller instances of the same problem. The approach can be applied to many types of problems, and is one of the central ideas of computer science....
and universal Turing machine
Universal Turing machine
In computer science, a universal Turing machine is a Turing machine that can simulate an arbitrary Turing machine on arbitrary input. The universal machine essentially achieves this by reading both the description of the machine to be simulated as well as the input thereof from its own tape. Alan...
s, see Blum–Shub–Smale machine. In 1990 she gave an address at the International Congress of Mathematicians
International Congress of Mathematicians
The International Congress of Mathematicians is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union ....
on computational complexity theory
Computational complexity theory
Computational complexity theory is a branch of the theory of computation in theoretical computer science and mathematics that focuses on classifying computational problems according to their inherent difficulty, and relating those classes to each other...
and real computation
Real computation
In computability theory, the theory of real computation deals with hypothetical computing machines using infinite-precision real numbers. They are given this name because they operate on the set of real numbers...
.
In 1992 Blum became the deputy director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute , founded in 1982, is an independent nonprofit mathematical research institution whose funding sources include the National Science Foundation, foundations, corporations, and more than 90 universities and institutions...
, otherwise known as MSRI. After visiting the City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive research university in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. It has achieved fast growth in recent years and received international recognition for its academic achievements...
for a year, she moved to her current position at Carnegie Mellon in 1999.
In 2002 she was selected to be a Noether Lecturer.
Lenore Blum is married to Manuel Blum
Manuel Blum
Manuel Blum is a computer scientist who received the Turing Award in 1995 "In recognition of his contributions to the foundations of computational complexity theory and its application to cryptography and program checking".-Biography:Blum attended MIT, where he received his bachelor's degree and...
and mother of Avrim Blum
Avrim Blum
Avrim Blum is a prominent computer scientist who in 2007 was inducted as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery "for contributions to learning theory and algorithms."-Biography:...
. All three are MIT alumni and professors of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon.
Selected Papers
- L. Blum, M. Blum and M. Shub, “A Simple Secure Pseudo-Random Number Generator,” SIAM Journal of Computing, Vol. 15, No. 2, 364-383, May 1986.
- L. Blum, “A New Simple Homotopy Algorithm for Linear Programming I,” Journal of Complexity, Vol.4, No.2, 124-136, June 1988.
- L. Blum, M. Shub, S. Smale, “On a Theory of Computation Over the Real Numbers; NP Completeness, Recursive Functions and Universal Machines,” FOCS; 88; Bulletin of the AMS, Vol. 21, No.1, 1-46, July 1989.
- L. Blum, F. Cucker, M. Shub and S. Smale, Complexity and Real Computation, Springer-Verlag, 1998.
- L. Blum, “Computing over the Reals, Where Turing Meets Newton,” Notices of the AMS, October, 2004.
External links
- Lenore Blum's Home Page
- "Lenore Blum", Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....
- Lenore Blum from the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive