The Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, housed on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, held an opening celebration on March 31, 2014. The institute, established in 2012 by a grant from the Simons Foundation, brings together leading researchers to explore both the theoretical underpinnings of computer science and its potential to shed light on a wide range of natural phenomena that other scientific disciplines study.
The institute’s activities center on semester-long programs, which attract large groups of visiting scholars; there are currently more than 100 long-term visitors attending the Spring 2014 programs. As part of the celebration, three participants in recent and ongoing programs made presentations. The talks were held in several different parts of the institute’s building, to highlight that the facility, formerly a chemistry wet lab, has been repurposed to create extensive open areas that facilitate collaboration….