On January 16, President Obama announced his intention to appoint Vint Cerf – Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google – to the National Science Board. The 25-member National Science Board is the governance body for the National Science Foundation, and additionally serves as an independent body of advisors to both the President and the Congress on policy matters related to science and engineering and education in science and engineering. Cerf – widely regarding along with his colleague Bob Kahn as “the father of the Internet” – received the National Medal of Technology in 1997, the ACM A.M. Turing Award in 2004, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in […]

In 2010, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) conducted a major review of the Federal government’s $4B multi-agency research and development program in networking and information technology (NITRD) – information here. In 2012, PCAST asked a small Working Group (Susan Graham, Peter Lee, and David Shaw) to review progress since the 2010 report and also to make further recommendations in response to the activities and advances since 2010.  The results of the Working Group’s efforts were presented at a public event in November (slides here).  This week, the full PCAST report resulting from this effort was released and forwarded to the President.  The report is available […]

An excellent article by MIT’s Bill Bonvillian, just out in the MIT Press journal Innovations.  Bill’s prescription: The U.S. must develop an integrated strategy if it is to reinvent its production capability. It should include the nine steps listed below: Developing advanced technologies that could lead to new manufacturing paradigms Selecting manufacturing paradigms that apply across a range of sectors Integrating technology development with efforts to develop new processes and business models In doing this, encompassing the new combined services/production model Tracking where world production competitors are moving Building at all levels a new advanced manufacturing workforce Applying an organizational model that works across the seams between the R&D agencies […]

ACM has joined forces with the newly created Heidelberg Laureate Forum to bring students together with recipients of the Abel Prize, the ACM A.M. Turing Award, and the Fields Medal.  The first Heidelberg Laureate Forum will take place September 22-27 2013 in Heidelberg, Germany.  Applications and nominations will be accepted through February 15. Additional information here (pdf).  This is a tremendous opportunity!

Last year, the Computing Community Consortium and CRA’s Government Affairs Committee held the first Leadership in Science Policy Institute.  A total of 35 participants attended the institute, which featured a series of presentations from science policy experts, current and former Hill staff, and relevant agency and Administration officials.  Topics included the mechanics of the legislative process, serving on advisory committees, and interfacing with Federal agencies. A second Leadership in Science Policy Institute will be held April 11-12, 2013 in Washington, DC. Please discuss this opportunity with your colleagues, identify those you believe would be interested in participating, and submit nominations! The deadline is Real Soon Now – December 14!

The Computing Research Association has adopted a set of “best practices” for postdocs, the result of work done by Anita Jones and Erwin Gianchandani under the auspices of CRA’s Computing Community Consortium. Postdocs have been expanding rapidly in the computing fields.  Only by being introspective and proactive can we ensure that these positions contribute to the professional development of the student, rather than being exploitative.  The “best practices” white paper sets serious expectations for three constituencies relating to the postdoctoral experience: The Ph.D. student considering a postdoc position must educate himself or herself about what a postdoc is, think through the pros and cons of accepting a postdoctoral position at […]