Honoring Innovators: Changemakers Recognized by the World’s Leading Computing Association

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the preeminent international computing society, has announced its distinguished roster of 2025 award recipients, honoring extraordinary contributions that have significantly shaped the field of computing. These recipients, selected by their peers, encompass a broad spectrum of disciplines, underscoring the expansive and interdisciplinary nature of modern computing. Their groundbreaking work has propelled advancements ranging from innovative learning environments for computer science education to pivotal technology policy developments and efforts to foster inclusivity in the computing community.

Among the honorees, Professors Yasmin B. Kafai of the University of Pennsylvania and Mitchel J. Resnick of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been recognized with the Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award. Their pioneering work in creative computing—most notably through the development of Scratch and electronic textiles—has redefined how young learners engage with computational concepts. Scratch, as a visual programming platform, has catalyzed a global phenomenon, becoming the largest coding community for youth worldwide with more than 150 million users and over a billion created projects. Their work emphasizes that mere access to technological tools is insufficient; instead, fostering collaborative, project-based, and interest-driven pedagogies can profoundly enhance young people’s cognitive engagement and creativity in computing.

Technically, their exploration into electronic textiles has introduced novel physical computing paradigms, bridging the worlds of circuitry, material science, and coding, thereby enabling learners to explore computational thinking in tactile and imaginative ways. This interdisciplinary integration supports broader participation in computing, expanding the realm of who can innovate and contribute. The duo’s research elucidates how such creative environments encourage users to share, remix, and build upon each other’s work, deepening their understanding of abstract computational principles through concrete, interactive experiences.

The ACM Policy Award has been bestowed upon Ed Felten, a professor at Princeton University, honoring his profound influence on technology policy, particularly in sensitive areas such as electronic voting, digital copyrights, consumer protections, and artificial intelligence. Felten’s rigorous security analyses of electronic voting systems have transformed national discourse, illuminating vulnerabilities that pose risks to democratic integrity. His work goes beyond theoretical inquiry, directly impacting policy and public perception.

Felten’s contributions include foundational research on digital rights management (DRM), highlighting how overly restrictive legal frameworks like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act can inadvertently suppress legitimate scientific research, thus impeding technological progress. By founding Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, Felten has fostered a nexus between academic inquiry and policymaking. His public service credentials include serving as the first Chief Technologist at the US Federal Trade Commission and as Deputy US Chief Technology Officer at the White House, roles in which he embedded technical expertise within government decision-making processes.

Jodi Tims, Program Manager at the Center for Inclusive Computing at Northeastern University, is recognized with the Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award for her impactful work in expanding the global participation of women within ACM and strengthening the organization’s commitment to comprehensive computing education. Through her leadership of the ACM Committee for Women in Computing (ACM-W), Tims spearheaded the Celebrations of Women in Computing initiative, which fosters supportive regional conferences that unite professionals and students across academia, industry, and government sectors. Under her stewardship, ACM-W’s presence notably intensified in Europe and India, expanding the community and resource networks available to women technologists.

Tims’ influence also extended to enhancing the visibility and development of non-doctoral educational institutions within the ACM ecosystem. She catalyzed a decade-long study capturing extensive data on enrollment, degree attainment, and salary trajectories from a broad spectrum of undergraduate computer science programs. This work has illuminated disparities and fostered equity-focused discussions, driving more inclusive education policies and practices within the computing discipline.

The ACM Presidential Awards were awarded to Claudia Maria Bauzer Medeiros of the University of Campinas, Stephen Ibaraki of the International Telecommunications Union, Scott Delman, ACM’s Director of Publications, and Wayne Graves, Director of Information Systems at ACM. Medeiros is celebrated for her trailblazing interdisciplinary research bridging data science with real-world applications in diverse fields such as chemistry, biodiversity, urban planning, and agro-environmental sciences. As the first female president of the Brazilian Computer Society and an ambassador for ACM-W, her leadership has greatly advanced Latin American computing communities and ACM’s global mission.

Stephen Ibaraki’s longstanding volunteerism and passion for professional development have manifested in initiatives like TechTalks and ACM ByteCast, amplifying discourse within the global computing community. His co-founding role in the United Nations’ “AI for Good” initiative underscores his commitment to harnessing artificial intelligence solutions to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pushing the boundaries of socially responsible computing innovation.

Scott Delman guided a transformational shift in academic publishing by spearheading ACM’s transition to an Open Access model for its Digital Library. This milestone effort has redefined the dissemination of scholarly work in computing by dismantling traditional paywall barriers, enabling unprecedented access and exposure to cutting-edge research. Delman’s strategic design of a tiered institutional subscription system fostered broad institutional buy-in, securing sustainability in the open publishing paradigm.

Wayne Graves, instrumental in evolving the ACM Digital Library into a cutting-edge platform, has overseen its growth into a comprehensive resource hub with value-added services that meet the dynamic demands of the worldwide computing community. His dedication ensures the platform continues to support ACM’s mission of fostering knowledge exchange, professional development, and scientific advancement.

The 2025 ACM Awards Banquet, slated for June 13 at San Francisco’s historic Palace Hotel, will witness formal recognition of these trailblazers whose innovations and leadership continue to shape computing’s future horizon. ACM’s role as the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society remains pivotal in cultivating a vibrant ecosystem for research, education, and professional collaboration. Through strong leadership, stringent standards, and proactive recognition of excellence, ACM continues to energize the global computing community, setting the stage for transformative breakthroughs and inclusive progress.

The breadth of disciplines represented by the awardees—from educational technology and electronic textiles to policy analysis and open access publishing—highlights the multifaceted nature of computing today. It underscores an essential truth: that the future of computing lies as much in innovative teaching methodologies and equitable participation as it does in technical advancements and policy frameworks. By honoring these contributions, ACM is not only celebrating excellence but also inspiring a new generation of practitioners and thinkers to forge paths toward a more creative, inclusive, and impactful computing landscape.

News Publication Date:
June 2025

Web References:
https://awards.acm.org/karlstrom
https://awards.acm.org/policy
https://awards.acm.org/outstanding-contribution
https://awards.acm.org/president
https://www.acm.org/