New technology is nothing to be afraid of.

Just ask Brian W. Kernighan, the visiting lecturer for Computer Science 50, "Introduction to Computer Science" this fall.

Kernighan, one of the foremost experts in the field of computer science, didn't even see a computer until his sophomore year of college in Toronto.

"[I thought computing was] fun, new and interesting," he says.

His initial enthusiasm never waned and he continued studying computer science in graduate school at Princeton.

"I think it's more or less by accident that I went to Princeton for graduate school and kept doing it," he says.

Today, Kernighan is widely recognized as one of the geniuses behind C, the programming language taught in CS 50.

Kernighan co-authored The C-Programming Language, which was first published in 1978. The book, written with Dennis M. Ritchie '63, details the C programming language, arguably the most popular programming language today.

Although Ritchie invented the language, Kernighan helped him compile it into a comprehensive users' guide which is known among computer programmers as the "C Bible."

His authorship of the book helped land him a spot at Harvard this year as a visiting professor of computer science.

And with his enthusiasm, humor and creative antics, Kernighan has quickly become a favorite among Harvard students.

A Short Road

When McKay Assistant Professor of Computer Science Margo I. Seltzer '83, who has taught CS 50 for the past three years, accepted a fellowship offer this year, she needed to find someone to teach the course in her absence.

Seltzer turned to Kernighan, whose book is the standard in the field and Seltzer's class.

When Seltzer called Kernighan to ask if he would teach CS 50 for her this year, Kernighan says he did not realize what he was getting himself into by saying yes.

The increase in enrollment--to 430 from 323 last year--and the new teaching experience has made the course very time-consuming for Kernighan.