2026 年 7 月 6 日，北京大学计算机学院第四届国际暑期学校正式开幕。1986 年图灵奖得主、北京大学客座讲席教授、前沿计算机研究中心主任 John E. Hopcroft 教授受邀出席开幕式并发表致辞。

面对来自世界各地高校、参加本届暑期学校的计算机专业本科生，Hopcroft 教授结合自身数十年的科研经历以及与多位诺贝尔奖、图灵奖获得者交流的体会，围绕科研志趣、职业发展、人工智能时代的机遇以及北京大学计算机学院的研究生培养理念进行了分享。他鼓励同学们坚持追寻真正热爱的研究方向，以长远眼光把握时代变革带来的新机遇，并期待更多优秀青年学子深入了解北京大学，在开放、多元的学术环境中探索未来发展的更多可能。

以下为 John E. Hopcroft 教授致辞全文：

Good morning. It is a great pleasure for me to be here today and discuss the graduate programs at PKU.

One of the purposes of PKU’s CS International Summer School is to encourage undergraduates to apply to a PKU graduate program.

Our programs help you discover what excites you and you will enjoy. This will allow you to create a career that you truly enjoy. Individuals who enjoy what they are doing are much more successful than those who are simply working.

I have talked with many Nobel Prize winners and Turing award laureates. When I asked them what was their strategy that lead to the recognition they received, almost all of them said they had no strategy. As we talked they told me that they just pursued what excited them. Often it had no application. If someone asked them to undertake a task that was work, they said that they were too busy, ask someone else.

They actually had a strategy, work on what interests and excites you.

What we doing in our graduate program here at PKU is helping students determine what excites them and steering them to a successful and enjoyable career. It is the reason that PKU attracts students from around the world.

Let me tell you a short story about the start of my career. I received my PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1964 and was hired by Princeton University to teach in an Electrical Engineering department. There were no Computer Science departments at that time.

I was asked to develop a Computer Science course and this made me one of the world’s first Computer Scientists. As a consequence, I did not need to wait until senior faculty ahead of me retired. I had many opportunities at a young age. If I had been in a field such as high energy physics, I would probably still be waiting today for an opportunity.

The moral of the story is that a time of change is a time of opportunity. You are fortunate that you are graduating at a time of fundamental change brought about by advances in biology, computing and communication.

I remember back when my parents told me about the changes in their lifetime. Refrigeration, radio, telephone. They told me there would be greater changes in my lifetime. I found it hard to believe. Then came TV, major highway systems, air travel, credit cards, and the internet. The changes you will experience will be even greater.

You will live in a world impacted by AI. AI may automate so many jobs that only a small fraction of the population will be needed to produce all the good and services we need.

The notion of working for a company is a relatively recent phenomenon. A hundred years ago few companies existed. Individuals had small farms and grew vegetables that they could trade for goods and services they needed. The industrial revolution changed this, automating many tasks and creating transportation. This led to the creation of major companies. Individuals stopped growing vegetables and took jobs in companies. During your lifetime this is likely to change. Education will help you transition to a new world.

Think about positioning yourselves for the next 40 years not the last 40 years. You will live in the information age. Think about a new or expanding field that you would enjoy.

The graduate programs here at PKU will help you understand the future you will live in and help you place yourself where you will enjoy your life.

A lesson I have learned is that there are 168 hours in the week. When you subtract those you spend eating, sleeping, working, doing laundry, etc., there are only about 20 hours left that are truly discretionary. However, if the job you select is what you would enjoy doing even if you were not paid to do it, you can increase those 20 hours to 60.

PKU is one of the top universities in the world. We attract outstanding students from many countries. The students you will interact with here are among the best. I strongly encourage you to continue your education at PKU.

Hopcroft 教授的致辞引发了现场师生的广泛共鸣。他以个人成长经历为切入点，勉励青年学子在科技快速发展的时代，坚持以兴趣为引领，勇于探索未知，在人工智能等前沿领域寻找属于自己的发展方向。作为北京大学计算机学院国际暑期学校的重要环节，此次分享不仅为学员们带来了关于科研与人生发展的深刻思考，也进一步展现了学院开放包容的国际化学术环境，以及培养具有全球视野、创新精神和社会责任感计算机人才的教育理念。未来两周，来自世界各地的学员将继续通过课程学习、科研交流、企业参访和文化体验等活动，深入了解北京大学计算机学院的学科特色与科研实力，开启一段充实而富有启发的学术探索之旅。