John L. von Neumann

Inventor and proponent of the "stored program" concept, von Neumann applied his idea to the logical design of a computer infrastructure that became known as the "von Neumann architecture." One of the six original mathematics professors appointed to the Institute for Advanced Studies in 1933 at Princeton University, von Neumann made this architecture the foundation for the institute's first computer, the IAS Machine, in 1944. Von Neumann quickly perceived the application of computers to applied mathematics for the solution of complex problems and not merely for the creation of mathematical tables. The IAS Machine inspired the building of several "supercomputers" by National Laboratories. In 1990, the IEEE established the von Neumann Medal, which it presents annually "for outstanding achievements in computer-related science and technology."