Computational neurobiologist and connectionist pioneer Terrence J. Sejnowski has won $15K with the 12th Wright Prize for interdisciplinary study in science and engineering. The award, from Harvey Mudd College, has new criteria favoring up-and-coming, early-to-mid career researchers. [, connectionists, 9/19/96.]

Nomination deadline for the 22nd Alan T. Waterman Award is 12/31/96. The award will be presented in May to an outstanding young science or engineering researcher. Mrs. Susan Fannoney, NSB, (703) 306-1096. [NSF Bulletin. grants, 9/23/96.]

I mentioned in TCC 6.63 that Juris Hartmanis of Cornell has been appointed assistant director of NSF/CISE. John Cherniavsky tells me that Hartmanis is a Turing Award winner with high academic credentials, as well as founder and chair of a major CS department. The Turing Award winners since 1966 are A.J. Perlis, Maurice V. Wilkes, Richard Hamming, Marvin Minsky, J.H. Wilkinson, John McCarthy, E.W. Dijkstra, Charles W. Bachman, Donald E. Knuth, Allen Newell, Herbert A. Simon, Michael O. Rabin, Dana S. Scott, John Backus, Robert W. Floyd, Kenneth E. Iverson, C. Anthony R. Hoare, Edgar F. Codd, Stephen A. Cook, Ken Thompson, Dennis M. Ritchie, Niklaus Wirth, Richard M. Karp, John Hopcroft, Robert Tarjan, John Cocke, Ivan Sutherland, William (Velvel) Kahan, Fernando J. Corbato', Robin Milner, Butler W. Lampson, Juris Hartmanis and Richard E. Stearns, Edward Feigenbaum and Raj Reddy, and Manuel Blum. [, 9/18/96.]

"..., the wise man should always follow the roads that have been trodden by the great, and imitate those who have most excelled, so that if he cannot reach their perfection, he may at least acquire something of its savour. Acting in this like the skillful archer, who seeing that the object he would hit is distant, and knowing the range of his bow, takes aim much above the destined mark; not designing that his arrow should strike so high, but that flying high it may alight at the point intended." -- Niccolo Machiavelli, "The Prince." [TFTD, 9/11/96.]

(John Cherniavsky and I have been discussing awards. He notes that nearly all of the Turing awardees have made fundamental contributions in AI and other fields, and continue as lifelong contributors to computer science and engineering. Such people can be entrusted with responsible positions. I don't dispute that, but I'm more concerned with motivating and empowering the rest of us. Do prestigious awards really motivate, or do they create despair of ever joining such elite ranks? They may create a glass ceiling, giving influence repeatedly to those who brought us here while denying opportunities to those who could take us further. Or perhaps the awards motivate those who are already close, such as PIs, department heads, conference chairs, and book authors -- and perhaps that's enough. Whatever; I rejoice that anyone can create any award that they wish. I'll probably create one myself someday.)

SIMPLICITER -- Excellence Without Excess -- is a new award for Web authors who have created profound, informative, intelligent, and entertaining pages without the use of extraneous graphic devices. It celebrates good taste and moderation. Winners will get a link on the Simpliciter home page and may display the Simpliciter logo on their pages. Anyone may nominate any page, and there is no limit on the number of awards. "Simpliciter is an independent effort by an independent Internet user." . [Keith Ammann , c.i.www.announce, 9/17/96.]

WWWorld Ribbon Award is a site giving out awards to the Web's best sites. A critique will be returned for any page submitted. . [, net-hap, 7/12/96.]

The awards compendium lists 70 sites where your URL can compete for awards. . [, net-hap, 8/19/96.]

If the world is slow to acknowledge you ... The Anarchy Award offers every Net junkie the chance to review his/her own site. . [Cecilia Franco White , BESTWEB, 6/28/96. net-hap.]

-- Ken