HLF2018: Laureates of computer science and mathematics meet the next generation.

I would like to share some of the unique and precious experiences received during the Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2018, which consists of the laureates of the most prestigious prizes in computer science and mathematics such as the ACM A.M. Turing Award, the ACM Prize for Computing, the Fields Medal, the Abel Prize, and the Nevanlinna Prize; and 200 young researchers from all over the world.

One of the remarkable talks was by a cryptography legend, Martin Hellman, on the public key encryption (PKE) that himself and Whitfield Diffie who was also presented at HLF 2018 were awarded the ACM A.M. Turing Award, 2015 for the invention of Diffie-Hellman key encryption in 1976, which is known by anyone who is familiar with TLS. The admiring part is that how simply he has explained the concept of PKE where I spent hours coming up with a simpler explanation to my class of electrical engineering undergraduates a few weeks back.

The Nobel physicist Bill Phillips has given an unorthodox lecture on atomic physics titled ‘Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe’. Laser atom cooling earned Phillips and colleagues the Nobel Prize in physics back in 1997. The talk on HLF focused largely on how that technology is directly leading to the creation of the most accurate atomic clocks ever.

As a young researcher, it is one of the greatest achievements to be selected to participate in the HLF. Only the 200 world's most qualified young researchers were given this opportunity to enrich and share the unique atmosphere of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum each year that offers the precious opportunity to personally interact with the laureates. I highly value the inspiration and knowledge on the academic career from the laureates and also the interaction with the young brains throughout the whole period.

Finally, I would like to quote the most remarkable personal statement by Frederick Brooks (ACM A.M. Turing Award, 1999), his reply to the question “what makes you satisfied the most when you look back?”, “follow the heart, take the opportunities, make family the first”!