January 28, 2025
Jelani Nelson, ISSI Advisory Committee member, is featured in a profile by the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. A few years ago, Nelson developed an algorithm that could do what his children could do at two or three years old: count. “Counting is a very fundamental thing. Everybody in the world learns how to count at some point,” said Nelson. “Now we know how to count the best way possible – or approximately count, I should say.” In addition to his work as a computer science theorist, he has also launched accessible, international coding programs and advocated for high quality public STEM education in California.