March/April 2018

PE Report
C++ Innovator Wins Draper Prize for Engineering

Bjarne Stroustrup, creator of the C++ programming language that is used by billions of people every day, was awarded the Charles Stark Draper Prize by the National Academy of Engineering in January.

C++ is the programing language behind many applications the public uses or is familiar with. The language runs most of Google’s supporting infrastructure, including the Google search engine, as well as the communications parts and telecommunication systems of smartphones. C++ can also be found in tools in the movie industry, the Mars Rover software, artificial intelligence, machine learning, medical systems like CAT scanners, and autonomous vehicles.

NAE President C.D. Mote Jr. called Stroustrup’s creation of C++ “a monumental, singular influence on the field of computing.”

While working at Bell Labs in 1979, Stroustrup began developing the language that became C++. The first release launched in 1985.

Stroustrup currently works as the managing director in the technology division of Morgan Stanley in New York, as well as a visiting professor in computer science at Columbia University. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2004. Stroustrup earned his PhD in computer science from Cambridge University, where he is an honorary fellow of Churchill College.

The Draper Prize presentation is scheduled for February 20 in Washington, DC. The annual prize of $500,000 is awarded to engineers who have significantly benefited society with their accomplishments.