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In making its selection, the General Technical Achievement Award Committee cited Iverson for his pioneering effort in programming languages and mathematical notation resulting in what the computing field now knows as APL. Iverson's contributions to the implementation of interactive systems, to the educational uses of APL, and to programming language theory and practice were also noted. Born and raised in Canada, Iverson received his doctorate in 1954 from Harvard University. There he served as Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics from 1955-1960. He then joined International Business Machines, Corp. and in 1970 was named an IBM Fellow in honor of his contribution to the development of APL. Dr. Iverson is presently with I.P. Sharp Associates in Toronto. He has published numerous articles on programming languages and has written four books about programming and mathematics:

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The importance of nomenclature, notation, and language as tools of thought has long been recognized. In chemistry and in botany, for example, the establishment of systems of nomenclature by Lavoisier and Linnaeus did much to stimulate and to channel later investigation. Concerning language, George Boole in his Laws of Thought [1, p.21] asserted "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted.

In making its selection, the General Technical Achievement Award Committee cited Iverson for his pioneering effort in programming languages and mathematical notation resulting in what the computing field now knows as APL. Iverson's contributions to the implementation of interactive systems, to the educational uses of APL, and to programming language theory and practice were also noted. Born and raised in Canada, Iverson received his doctorate in 1954 from Harvard University. There he served as Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics from 1955-1960. He then joined International Business Machines, Corp. and in 1970 was named an IBM Fellow in honor of his contribution to the development of APL. Dr. Iverson is presently with I.P. Sharp Associates in Toronto. He has published numerous articles on programming languages and has written four books about programming and mathematics: