memBeRs At LARGe (7/1/12 – 6/30/16)

EUGENE H. SPAFFORD Professor and executive director Purdue University ceriaS West lafayette, in, USa

Biography

Eugene H. Spafford (Gene, Spaf) received a B. S. in both math and computer science from SUN Y at Brockport (‘ 79). He received his M.S. (‘ 81) and Ph.D. (‘ 86) in CS from Georgia Tech. After a post-doc at Georgia Tech he joined the faculty at Purdue University in 1987 as a professor in CS. He also has courtesy appointments in ECE, Philosophy, and Communication.

His current research interests are prevention, detection, and remediation of information system failures and misuse, with an emphasis on applied information security. He also has been deeply involved in issues of science and national security policy. He founded the COAST Laboratory at Purdue in 1992, which became the Center for Education and Research in Information Security and Assurance (CERIAS) in 1998.

Spaf has received many awards for research, teaching and service, including: National Computing Systems Security Award, ACM SIGSAC Outstanding Contribution, ACM SIGSAC Making a Difference Award, ISSA Hall of Fame, SANS Lifetime Achievement Award, Computer Society Taylor Booth Award, Upsilon Pi Epsilon ABACUS Award, CRA Distinguished Service Award, ACM President’s Award, and an Air Force civilian Meritorious Service Medal. He is a Fellow of the ACM, IEEE, AAAS, (ISC) 2, and a Distinguished Fellow of the ISSA.

A member of ACM for over 30 years, he has been a member of or chaired nine major ACM committees including the ACM/IEEE Joint Curriculum Taskforce (1989–1991), and the editorial boards of two ACM journals. He was an ACM representative on the CRA Board of Directors (1998–2007) and has served as chair of the ACM’s U.S. Public Policy Council since 1998. He is currently a member of several company, government, and institutional advisory boards, including those of the U.S. Air Force University, and the GAO.

statement

ACM should be more engaged in some of the issues being raised by the increasing use of computing in critical applications. Issues related to computing and networking are now major topics in public policy. ACM can play an important role as a trusted source of expertise and information in these matters, and should be involved in discussing them. Whether those discussions are about the role of early computing education, the issues of privacy in a global community, or the role of social media in political dissent, ACM has members and resources that can make a difference. Over the last few decades, ACM has grown into a major international organization, with much more to offer than the presentation and publication of new research results. More than scholars, we can be leaders at the forefront of changes in the world around us.

I have been actively involved with ACM for over 30 years, as a researcher and as a member involved in issues of security, privacy, ethics, public policy, and education. This has included serving on or chairing several ACM taskforces and committees, representing ACM as a CRA board member, and serving as chair of the ACM’s U.S. Public Policy Council for over a decade. These activities have provided me deep insight into both ACM and the role that we can play as informed professionals. I will bring this insight and leadership experience to my position on ACM Council.

As a member of the Council I will support opportunities to help grow ACM as an internationally prominent organization sought out for our technical expertise, not as advocates but as temperate professionals. This will be in addition to strong support of our base functions—conferences, publications, the Digital Library, and SIG activities—and of our increasingly global membership.