Richard E. Stearns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Edwin Stearns
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Richard Stearns in 2009
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| Born | July 5, 1936 |
| Nationality | USA |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Alma mater | Carleton College (B.A.) Princeton University (Ph.D.) |
| Awards | ACM Turing Award (1993) Frederick W. Lanchester Prize (1995) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University at Albany |
| Doctoral advisor | Harold W. Kuhn |
| Doctoral students | Madhav V. Marathe Thomas O'Connell |
Richard Edwin Stearns (born July 5, 1936) is an American computer scientist. He is famous for his work in understanding how complex computer problems are. In 1993, he won the ACM Turing Award with Juris Hartmanis. This award is like the Nobel Prize for computing. They received it for their very important paper that helped create the field of computational complexity theory. This field studies how much time and memory computers need to solve problems. In 1994, he became a special member, called a Fellow, of the Association for Computing Machinery.
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Early Life and Education
Richard Stearns was born on July 5, 1936. He grew up in Caldwell, New Jersey. He loved learning about numbers and how things work.
What Did He Study?
Stearns went to Carleton College and earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1958. After that, he continued his studies at Princeton University. He earned his Ph.D. (a very high degree) in mathematics in 1961. His special research paper was about "cooperative games" involving three people. This looked at how people make decisions together.
His Work in Computer Science
Richard Stearns is known for his big contributions to computer science. He helped create a whole new area of study.
What is Computational Complexity Theory?
Computational complexity theory is a part of computer science. It helps us understand how hard different problems are for computers to solve. Some problems take a lot of time or memory. Others are easier. Stearns and Hartmanis wrote a key paper that set the rules for this field. They showed how to classify problems based on their difficulty. This helps computer scientists design better and faster computer programs.
Where Did He Work?
Stearns worked as a professor at the University at Albany. He taught computer science there for many years. Now, he is a "Distinguished Professor Emeritus." This means he is a highly respected retired professor.
Awards and Recognition
Richard Stearns has received several important awards for his work.
The Turing Award
The Turing Award is one of the highest honors in computer science. Richard Stearns received it in 1993. He shared this award with Juris Hartmanis. It recognized their important work on how complex computer problems are. Their ideas changed how people thought about what computers could and could not do.
Other Honors
In 1994, Stearns was named a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery. This is a special honor for people who have made big impacts in computing. He also received the Frederick W. Lanchester Prize in 1995.
