1947-1997 and
beyond
Celebrating 50 years of service
to the computing community.
For 50 years the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has been a major force in advancing the skills of information technology professionals and students throughout the world. As the largest international professional computing society, ACM provides a global forum for the exchange of knowledge about computing and information technology. Organized in 1947, shortly after the unveiling of ENIAC, (the first general purpose electronic computer) ACM has flourished along with the industry itself. Today, ACM continues to play an important role in the development and use of information technology.
Nearly all of the major figures in software development were personally influenced by ACM and its programs and virtually every computer science curriculum has grown out of ACM's involvement in information technology instruction.
The members of ACM come from industry, research, academia and government, including more than 200 professional and almost 600 student chapters worldwide. In support of their professional efforts and information technology interests, ACM carries out a broad range of programs and services. Publications such as Communications of the ACM and interactions magazines; Special Interest Group (SIGs) including SIGGRAPH and SIGCHI; professional and student chapters; conferences including Supercomputing and ACM97; awards such as the prestigious Turing Award; and special activities, to disseminate information, including the International Collegiate Programming Contest and the ACM Chess Challenge (Garry Kasparov versus DeepBlue).
ACM's programs are guided by an executive committee composed of a president, vice president and secretary elected every 2 years by the membership at large. ACM's international headquarters, in New York City is headed by Executive Director Joseph J. DeBlasi, who works with a staff of approximately 100.
30 September 1996
