2nd HLF 2014 - Hot Topic Presentation: PJ Narayanan

Hot Topic Presentati ons

Abel, Fields and Turing LaureatesMeet the Next Generation

2nd Heidelberg Laureate ForumSeptember 21 - 26, 2014

The Role of Mathemati cs and Computer Sciencesin Developing Countries

PJ Narayanan“Viewpoint from India”

September 23, 2014

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Viewpoint from India

P J Narayanan Director, IIIT, Hyderabad

Ex-‐President, ACM India Council

September 23, 2014 hEp://www.iiit.ac.in

Role and Poten6al of Mathema6cs and Computer Science

in Developing Na6ons/Emerging Economies

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CompuJng: Dream Run

•  Costs falling very dramaJcally – ComputaJon, communicaJon, storage •  $0.3 per hour of voice conversaJon •  Negligible costs per FLOP, MB of storage, etc.

•  Access improved significantly – $30 smartphones/computers, $10 feature phones – Close to universal access to cellphones

•  Dream come true for resource-‐scarce socieJes – Economical access to the drivers of modernity – How can we exploit it effecJvely?

September 23, 2014 HLF HotTopic 2

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Solving the Big Problems •  Basic ameniJes at high quality and affordable costs –  Food, water, healthcare, educaJon, livelihood –  CommunicaJon, recreaJon, entertainment

•  Role for CompuJng/CommunicaJons –  Best pracJces, plans, delivery, opJmizaJon –  Small Sensors, Small Devices, Small Budgets –  Big Data, Big AnalyJcs, Big Impact

•  Lowering the boEom line a key concern –  Doing things with less and less

•  Greatest challenges come from unstructured socieJes –  Everything is more complicated in such environments


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Self Driving Car Challenge

Similar challenges in access to educaJon, healthcare, food distribuJon, etc.


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Who will solve? How? •  These ulJmately have to be solved locally – Advanced naJons have liEle real interest – Neither do they truly comprehend the problem

•  Prepare people with educaJon in CS/Math/Science but also in creaJve applicaJons –  Livelihood enabled by cheap computaJon, communicaJon, and storage

–  Translate na#ve human intelligence to livelihoods

•  Hardest problems to be solved for the future – Well prepared researchers are central to the scheme –  Educa6on and research are key to success


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India and IT/CS/Math •  Large country with big hunger for educaJon –  400 million below 15 years. 25 million in any age –  Half a million students join CS educaJon each year – MathemaJcs: Numbers may be good, but not enthusiasm

•  So_ware jobs to a large number of people –  Over 3 million IT and ITES professionals –  High paying jobs that also provide a lot of dignity – Made possible by educaJon and MathemaJcal bend of mind

•  InternaJonal visibility and respect –  Snake charmers to Python programmers

•  High social mobility for the bright students


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Knowledge CreaJon •  Anomalous situaJon –  Top-‐end of academia well connected globally –  Average level of the country quite poor

•  Knowledge creaJon has lagged seriously –  About 500K bachelors CS students per year –  Only about 150 PhDs per year from top 30 insJtuJons –  Fewer than 1000 Indians join PhD anywhere annually

•  India is 10th or beyond in research output –  PublicaJons, citaJons, H-‐index, etc. –  Behind Jny countries like the Netherlands, Israel, Canada

•  IT RevoluJon: Solving others’ problems but not own!


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What’s the Problem? •  A highly u#litarian view of educaJon (including CS/Math) – Means to a specific end: glamorous and lucraJve jobs – Made worse recently by abundant so_ware jobs

•  UJlitarian view prevails at all levels –  In top schools where the brightest study –  Largely even for those who do a PhD

•  Risk largely avoided/shunned –  Startups and jobs in them not too aEracJve –  Research career: More risk than a big company job?

•  UJlitarian and risk-‐avoiding agtude prevalent –  Pursuit of beauty difficult and poets rare


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PromoJng Research •  College/School students to see research passion –  ImaginaJve and creaJve teaching methods –  InteracJon with research rock-‐stars to enthuse •  HLF/Lindau events to be held locally •  ACM India has been doing that in a small way

•  Research-‐led educaJon at UG levels – Direct experience of research will given them ideas –  Last page of text book isn’t the last word on the subject

•  Nurture the fountain of future creators –  Youth of the future reside in countries like India –  It’s the whole world’s problem


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CollaboraJons Needed •  CS/Math: great transformaJve potenJal to poorer naJons –  Greater need for beEer soluJons

•  InnovaJve soluJons have to emerge –  How do we teach effecJvely at that scale? •  Diversity of languages, background, aspiraJons

–  How do we address big societal problems? •  Food, livelihood, healthcare, educaJon, …

–  Enrich our areas as well as the lives of ciJzens

•  True challenge: Working together to achieve these –  Perhaps the only way to address the issues –  Ideas and collabora6ons invited


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2nd HLF 2014 - Hot Topic Presentation: PJ Narayanan

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