Interactive Computation

The interaction paradigm provides a new conceptualization of computational phenomena that emphasizes interaction rather than algorithms, thus reflecting the shift in technology from number-crunching on mainframes to distributed intelligent networks with graphical user interfaces. Editors Goldin, Smolka and Wegner have structured 18 contributions from distinguished researchers into four sections: "Introduction", consisting of three chapters that explore and summarize the fundamentals of interactive computation; "Theory" with six chapters, each discussing a specific aspect of interaction; "Applications" showing in five chapters how this principle is applied in various subdisciplines of computer science; and "New Directions" presenting four multidisciplinary applications beyond computer science. The book challenges traditional Turing machine-based answers to fundamental questions relating to problem solving and the scope of computation. Assuming the reader has only an undergraduate-level background in computer science, it serves as an introduction to this increasingly important discipline.

Dina Goldin is an adjunct faculty member in the computer science department at Brown University. Her work on models of interactive computation has been published in leading journals. She is the Information Director and member of editorial board of ACM Computing Reviews, and a senior member of the IEEE. She is also co-organizer of a new series of bi-annual workshops on the foundations of interactive computing (FInCo), founded in 2005.

Scott Smolka is a professor of computer science at Stony Brook University. His research interests include concurrency theory, model checking, and systems biology, and he has over 100 refereed publications in these areas. He is on the editorial board of Software Tools for Technology, Formal Methods in System Design, and Transactions on Computational Logic. He is also co-founder and president of Reactive Systems, Inc., which makes the Reactis tool suite for the automated testing and validation of embedded control software.

Peter Wegner is professor emeritus of computer science at Brown University. During his distinguished career, Peter has written or edited over a dozen books in the areas of programming languages and software engineering, and has held a number of leading editorial positions. He was awarded the Austrian Medal of Honor (Ehrenkreuz) for his scientific contributions, and an ACM Distinguished Service Award for leadership in charting research directions for computer science.