SAN FRANCISCO: A Harvard University professor has been awarded a top technology prize for research that has paved the way for computers that more closely mimic how humans think, including the one that won a “Jeopardy!” tournament. Leslie Valiant, who teaches computer science and applied mathematics at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was awarded the A.M. Turing Award for 2010, the Association for Computing Machinery said Wednesday. The $250,000 award is considered the Nobel Prize of computing and is named after the famous British mathematician Alan M. Turing. Some of Valiant's biggest contributions concern the mathematical foundations of computer learning.
