Professor Gérard Berry, a distinguished member of the French Academy of Sciences and the French Academy of Technologies, and a Gold Medal awardee from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, delivered a pivotal lecture on 6 November at the recent France-Hong Kong Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted by City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK). Titled “Time and events in Computer Science”, the lecture focused on the crucial role of “time” in computer science, as well as the design, semantics and applications of synchronous programming languages.

 

Professor Freddy Boey, President of CityUHK, expressed gratitude in his welcome speech for Professor Berry's presence at CityUHK to deliver the lecture, providing participants with an engaging and insightful perspective on computer science beyond textbooks. He emphasised the rapid advancement of computer science, highlighting the need to break through conventional frameworks, embrace innovation and stay abreast of the times. Earlier this year, CityUHK established the College of Computing and the Hong Kong Institute of AI for Science, aiming to bring together interdisciplinary talent to nurture the next generation of technological innovators, scholars and pioneers, and to transform research achievements into innovative solutions to address global challenges and contribute to society in the era of AI-driven data computing.

Mrs Christile Drulhe, the Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, expressed her gratitude for CityUHK's organisation of the France-Hong Kong Distinguished Lecture Series over the years, noting that the lectures have promoted exchanges between the French and Hong Kong scientific communities. She praised Professor Berry for his significant contributions to computer science theory, programming languages and system design, which not only benefit the academic community, but also have a profound impact on our daily lives. Through understanding the roles and functions of "time" and "events" in computer science, we can create more efficient algorithms and enhance overall software functionality.

In classic computer science, “time” was generally considered to be a cost of programme execution rather than a programming concern. However, in the 1980s, as cyber-physical systems such as airplanes, trains and robots started to be driven and supervised by computer programmes, explicit and rigorous manipulation of “time” and “events” became central, leading to the development of synchronous programming languages. In his lecture, Professor Berry elaborated on the development, design and semantics of synchronous programming languages, including Esterel, whose development he has led. These programming languages greatly simplify time-sensitive programme design, drive the development of reactive programming, and play a significant role in safety-critical domains, such as airplane flight control, hardware circuit design and human-machine interaction.

The France-Hong Kong Distinguished Lecture Series, organised by CityUHK, are a series of high-profile lectures organised by CityUHK under the auspices of the French Academy of Sciences, the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, and The Légion d’Honneur Club Hong Kong Chapter. Other CityUHK representatives attending the lecture included Professor Anderson Shum, Vice-President (Research), and Professor Cheng Shuk Han, Associate Vice-President (Research).