Turing Award lecture on computational complexity and the nature of computer science
Juris Hartmanis · Communications of the ACM · 1994
| n scientific work, the recognition by o n e ' s peers is one of the greatest rewards.In particular, an official recognition by the scientific community, as Richard Stearns a n d I are h o n o r e d by the 1993 ACM T u r i n g Award, is very satisfying a n d deeply appreciated.~ Science is a great intellectual adventure a n d o n e o f h u m a n k i n d ' s greatest achievements.F u r t h e r m o r e , a research career can be an exciting, r e w a r d i n g a n d e n n o b l i n g activity, particularly so if o n e is f o r t u n a t e to participate in the c r e a t i o n o f a c o m p l e t e l y new a n d very i m p o r t a n t science, as m a n y scientists are.My r o a d to c o m p u t e r science was n o t a d i r e c t one.Actually it looks m o r e like a r a n d o m walk, in retrospect, with the right intellectual stops to p r e p a r e m e for work in c o m p u t e r science.