The Israeli mathematician Amir Pnueli has won the 1996 Turing award, the most prestigious prize in computer science, for work which could prevent disasters such as a plane crash, a failed space mission or a nuclear meltdown.
Professor Pnueli, who works in the Weizmann Institute's department of applied mathematics and computer science, uses a precise mathematical language known as temporal logic to describe the desired specification of a program, and employs rigorous proofs to ensure that the program meets these criteria.
Catriel Be'eri, a professor of computer science at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said temporal logic is especially important since it is used with critical systems in aircraft, air traffic control systems and even cars, to make sure, for example, that the brakes do not suddenly slam on in the middle of a highway.
The award is granted annually by the American professional society, the Association for Computing Machinery.