It has been almost a year since computer scientist Luiz André Barroso passed away. On September 16, 2023, he left a huge legacy behind. Barroso was a distinguished individual known for his transformative work at Google and his dedication to representation in the field. His ability to impact the community will now honored each year by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) through the Luiz André Barroso Award.
Dr. Barroso worked at Google for over 20 years as a vice president of engineering in the Core and Maps divisions, and was the technical leader in the design of Google’s computing platform. He was a pioneer of Google’s data centers, rebuilding the company’s data center design.
He was also dedicated to improving representation and inclusion in the field of computing, serving as the executive sponsor for Google’s Latinx employee group.
The award echoes Dr. Barroso’s vision for inclusivity in the field by celebrating researchers from historically underrepresented communities from across the world who have made fundamental contributions to computer science.
The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is touched by the news that former CCC Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Symposium speaker Luiz André Barroso was honored with an award named after him by ACM.
Dr. Barroso spoke during the first panel of the NITRD 30th Symposium, hosted by the CCC in 2022, which focused on achievements in high performance computing and cloud computing over the past 30 years. When asked which important societal outcomes have been enabled by NITRD investments, Barroso pointed to the establishment of more computing and data facilities, allowing diverse multidisciplinary teams access to technology and compute power which would have been unthinkable without these investments.
As Dr. Barroso put it, “There are the breakthroughs that make the impossible possible, which are inspiring, and then there are the others that make the possible available.”
Barroso recognized the importance of not just developing novel technologies, but also making sure these technologies are widely accessible across research domains.
Interested in nominating someone for this award? ACM is looking for computer scientists with a commitment to making the computing community more inclusive. The nominee needs to demonstrate long-term contributions through research, publications or leadership.
Visit the ACM website for nomination requirements. Read more about this award here.
