Lots of interesting stories touching on computing research in The New York Times and Time magazine in the past couple weeks: – Feb. 28 — Remapping Computer Circuitry to Avert Impending Bottlenecks — Hewlett-Packard researchers have proposed a fundamental rethinking of the modern computer for the coming era of nanoelectronics — a marriage of memory and computing power that could drastically limit the energy used by computers. – Carrots, Sticks, and Digital Health Records — The United States is embarking this year on a grand experiment in the government-driven adoption of technology — ambitious, costly and potentially far-reaching in impact. The goal is to improve health care and to reduce its long-term […]

Keith Marzullo, a Division Director within the NSF’s CISE Directorate, recently sat down to describe his experiences working at the National Science Foundation. “As a Division Director of [Computer and Network Systems] — CNS — I have a very broad view of what now is going on in research in my area. I’m going to conferences I never went to, because it’s now my job to understand what’s going on — and it’s really exciting. I’m getting a birds-eye view of everything that’s going on in the nation in terms of research in computer networks and computer systems. I wish I had done this 10 years ago. I think, had […]

“A funding ecosphere that allowed, or possibly even encouraged, a postdoctoral position (or, in some cases, a stint in an industrial research lab or another industrial position) before taking an academic job seemed beneficial, from the standpoint of allowing many researchers freedom and flexibility.  [But] a setting where such positions came to be seen as mandatory seemed very worrisome, especially if it created an atmosphere where multiple sequential postdoctoral appointments became the norm.” That’s just a snippet of what the computing research community is saying in response to the Computing Research Association (CRA)-led white paper on PostDocs.  As you’ll recall, in early February, the CRA launched an effort to engage the computing research community in a conversation about PostDocs, […]

If you haven’t seen it already, the February 11 issue of Science magazine is worth a look.  It contains a special section — titled “Dealing with Data” — that describes the challenges and opportunities arising from the wealth of scientific data being generated. As the staff of Science writes in the overview piece: If we can use and reuse scientific data better, the opportunities, as indicated in many examples in this special section, are myriad. Large integrated data sets can potentially provide a much deeper understanding of both nature and society and open up many new avenues of research. And they are critical for addressing key societal problems—from improving public […]

As we previously blogged in this space (here and here), approximately 130 individuals — including 43 speakers — from 16 countries around the world came together at the NSF last month to discuss the challenge of “Building a Smarter Health and Wellness Future.” The two-day workshop, sponsored by the NSF and organized jointly by the NSF and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), sought to identify priorities for an international research and policy agenda that would help improve health and wellness in people, communities and societies using information technology.  The international experts in health- and wellness-related disciplines considered the most efficient and effective roles for both the public […]

Some interesting news items in the past week: “The Art of Video Games” The Smithsonian Institution’s American Art Museum will debut on March 16 an exhibition titled The Art of Video Games — exploring “the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects, the creative use of new technologies, and the most influential artists and designers.”  But before then, the Smithsonian needs the public’s help to determine which 80 video games should be represented.  Click here to see the options and vote for your favorites.  And as the Smithsonian notes, “Remember, this is an art exhibition, so be sure to vote for games that you […]