Prestigious honour for computing professor

Computing Professor Alan Newell has been recognised for his contributions to developing computer-based systems for people with disabilities by the Association for Computing Machinery.

The prestigious New York-based ACM has named Professor Newell as a Fellow, one of only three people in Europe to receive the honour in the class of 2006.

Professor Newell is a senior figure within the Queen Mother Research Centre for Information Technology to support older people, part of the University's School of Computing. The School contains one of the largest and most influential academic groups in the world researching information technology for older and disabled people.

Professor Newell said, "I see this award as recognition of the contributions of all the researchers in this field in Dundee's School of Computing over the last 25 years. As important is that it is a recognition by the major computer science association in the world that developing information technology to support older and disabled people is an important, valid and worthwhile activity for computer scientists."

The research within the School includes developing software, such as email and web browsers, specially designed for older people, devices to allow non-speaking people to communicate, multi-media systems for people with dementia, the use of digital television for entertainment and memory support for older people, and smart house technology. His more recent research has included the use of theatre to facilitate discussions between engineers and older people concerning their needs and wants for technological support.

ACM has recognized 41 of its members - the majority of them from the United States - for their contributions to both the practical and theoretical aspects of computing and information technology. The new ACM Fellows, from some of the world's leading industries, universities, and research labs, made significant advances that are having lasting effects on the lives of citizens throughout the world.

The Fellows are drawn from major names in the corporate sector, including Microsoft, Google, IBM, Yahoo! and Hewlett Packard, as well as some of the world's leading universities.

The only institutions to be honoured in Europe were the University of Dundee and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne, in Switzerland, each of which has a Fellow in the Class of 2006. One recipient had a dual affiliation with Colorado at Boulder and the Imperial College London.