Nancy Lynch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nancy Lynch
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| Born | January 19, 1948 Brooklyn, New York City
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| Alma mater | Brooklyn College MIT |
| Known for | Distributed systems |
| Awards | ACM Fellow (1997) Dijkstra Prize (2001, 2007) Member, National Academy of Engineering (2001) Van Wijngaarden Award (2006) IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award (2010) Member, National Academy of Sciences (2015) Knuth Prize (2007) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions | Tufts University University of Southern California Florida International University Georgia Tech MIT |
| Thesis | Relativization of the Theory of Computational Complexity (1972) |
| Doctoral advisor | Albert R. Meyer |
| Doctoral students | Cal Newport George Varghese |
Nancy Ann Lynch is a famous computer scientist. She was born on January 19, 1948. She works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, she leads a research group. This group studies how computer systems work together. These are called "distributed systems."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Nancy Lynch grew up in Brooklyn, New York City. She loved math from a young age. She studied mathematics in college. She went to Brooklyn College. Later, she attended MIT. She earned her Ph.D. degree from MIT in 1972. Her teacher there was Albert R. Meyer.
Her Work in Computer Science
Before joining MIT, Nancy Lynch taught at other universities. These included Tufts University and the University of Southern California. She also taught at Florida International University. In 1982, she started working at MIT.
Since then, she has focused on computer science. She uses math to understand complex computer systems. These systems often involve many computers working at the same time. She helps make sure they work correctly.
Understanding Distributed Systems
One of her most important works was in 1985. She worked with Michael J. Fischer and Mike Paterson. They studied a problem called "consensus." This is when many computers need to agree on one thing. Their work showed that it's very hard for computers to agree. This is true if one computer might crash. This discovery was very important. It helped computer designers make better systems.
Nancy Lynch has written many articles. These articles are about how distributed systems work. She also writes about what these systems cannot do. She also wrote a textbook. It is called "Distributed Algorithms." This book helps students learn about these systems.
Awards and Achievements
Nancy Lynch has received many awards. These awards recognize her important work. She is a member of special groups. These include the National Academy of Sciences. She is also part of the National Academy of Engineering.
- 1997: She became an ACM Fellow. This is a high honor in computing.
- 2001: She won the Dijkstra Paper Prize. This award is for important research papers.
- 2001: She was chosen for the National Academy of Engineering. This was for her work on distributed computing.
- 2006: She received the Van Wijngaarden Award.
- 2007: She won the Knuth Prize. This is a major award in computer science.
- 2007: She won the Dijkstra Paper Prize again.
- 2010: She received the IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award.
- 2015: She became a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
See also
In Spanish: Nancy Lynch para niños
