“Turing was a prodigy, a brilliant and original man who was terribly treated for being gay," says Professor Rod Downey. Picture: Wikipedia. An expert of the theory of computation will tonight give a public lecture on how The Imitation Game “horribly mangles” the contribution of the gay father of modern computing Alan Turing. “Turing was a prodigy, a brilliant and original man who was terribly treated for being gay. His story is a study in ideas and social commentary,” says Professor Rod Downey from Victoria University’s School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research. He will tonight give a public lecture in which he aims to give an accurate picture of Turing’s work and his place in history. Professor Downey has spent the last 35 years researching in the area of the theory of computation and recently edited the book Turing’s Legacy: Developments from Turing’s Ideas in Logic. Turing was a mathematician and logician whose ideas led to the development of the modern computer and artificial intelligence. He has recently come to popular attention through The Imitation Game which focuses on his role in cracking intercepted coded messages in Britain during the Second World War. Alan Turing Turing was chemically castrated, rather than going to prison, after being prosecuted for ‘homosexual acts’ in 1952. He died from cyanide poisoning in 1954. Professor Downey says The Imitation Game “horribly mangles” Turing’s contribution, and the nature of Bletchley Park, the central site of the United Kingdom’s Government Code and Cypher School which was a key hub for penetrating communications during the Second World War. Professor Downey describes Turing as one of the geniuses of the twentieth century. While Professor Downey will spend a small part of his lecture discussing things the film got wrong, most of his address will focus on mathematics, especially the development of computers and how cryptanalysis worked at Bletchley Park. He will pay particular attention to covering the range and variety of Turing’s work and the impact it has had. In his lecture, Professor Downey will cover a brief history of ciphers, the work done by the cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park and how the Enigma machine works, all of which are portrayed in The Imitation Game. Professor Downey will also discuss some of Turing’s less known work in areas including Biology. The public lecture is at 5.30pm at Government Buildings, Lecture Theatre 2, Lambton Quay. RSVP to siyun.thompson@ecs.vuw.ac.nz
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 26th February 2015 - 9:42am