Tanel Tammet is an
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n computer scientist, professor,
software engineer
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ''p ...
, and
computer programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
. He was also one of the founding members of the
Estonian Greens
The Estonian Greens ( et, Erakond Eestimaa Rohelised, EER) is a green political party in Estonia. Founded in 2006, the party held six seats in the Riigikogu from 2007 to 2011. Its objective is to ensure that Estonia's development is environmen ...
party,
and helped found the IT College in
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
.
Life and career
Born in 1965, Tammet had early access to the
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...
's computers through his father's work at the
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
department. As a result, he eventually graduated the university's maths department in
applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathematical s ...
, specializing in
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
. He took interest in
automated theorem proving
Automated theorem proving (also known as ATP or automated deduction) is a subfield of automated reasoning and mathematical logic dealing with proving mathematical theorems by computer programs. Automated reasoning over mathematical proof was a maj ...
and graduated the
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology ( sv, Chalmers tekniska högskola, often shortened to Chalmers) is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level ...
in with a Ph.D. in 1992. He lived in Sweden for the most part of that decade, then returned to Tallinn.
Tammet received international renown for his automated theorem proving program Gandalf, which won different categories of the
Conference on Automated Deduction The Conference on Automated Deduction (CADE) is the premier academic conference on automated deduction and related fields. The first CADE was organized in 1974 at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. Most CADE meetings have been held in Eur ...
(CADE) CASC competition six times between 1997 and 2003. He has been the Estonian delegate to the Information Systems Technology Panel of the NATO Research and Technology Organisation, and written about
cyber security
Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, the ...
. He often teaches or speaks about
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
, and has asserted that it already exists, albeit in a primitive and distributed form.
From 2006, Tammet was a founding member and member of the board of the Estonian Greens.
[ The party was elected into the ]Riigikogu
The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Jus ...
the following year with 7.1% of the nationwide vote, which granted them six seats. In 2010, amid growing tensions following their failed runs in the European Parliament and local elections in 2009, Tammet along with 19 other members was thrown out of the party. It subsequently failed to reach the minimum 5% of the vote needed in the 2011 parliamentary elections and faded.
Tammet is a professor at the Tallinn University of Technology
Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; et, Tallinna Tehnikaülikool) is the only technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administratio ...
and is the faculty manager of its computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
institute. Formerly he had helped found the Tallinn IT College and was on its board of advisors from its inception in 2003.Panoramio
Panoramio was a geo-tagging, geo-located tagging, photo sharing Mashup (web application hybrid), mashup active between 2005 and 2016. Photos uploaded to the site were accessible as a layer in Google Earth and Google Maps. The site's goal was to a ...
, Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...
, and Foursquare City Guide
Foursquare City Guide, commonly known as Foursquare, is a local search-and-discovery mobile app developed by Foursquare Labs Inc. The app provides personalized recommendations of places to go near a user's current location based on users' previ ...
.
Tammet has four sons.[ In 2002, he was issued the fifth class of the ]Order of the White Star
The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...
.
Books
* Tammet, Tanel; ''Teejuht võrgumaailma'', Tartu : Ilmamaa, 1997.
* Tamme, Tõnu; Tammet, Tanel; Prank, Rein
''Loogika: Mõtlemisest tõestamiseni''
Tartu : Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus, 1997.
References
External links
Personal page on Google Sites
Sightsmap
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tammet, Tanel
1965 births
Living people
Estonian scientists
Computer scientists
Estonian Greens politicians
University of Tartu alumni
People from Tallinn
21st-century Estonian politicians
Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 5th Class