Written by Helen Wright – Originally posted on the CRA-I Blog In a rapidly digitizing world, ensuring accessibility for all individuals is crucial. In February 2023, the Computing Research Association (CRA) held a workshop on Accessible Technology for All. The workshop was co-hosted by CRA-Industry (CRA-I), Computing Community Consortium (CCC), and CRA-Widening Participation (CRA-WP) and led by a team of organizers from the various CRA committees including Jeanine Cooke (Sandia National Labs / CRA-WP), Shaun Kane (Google), Chris Ramming (VMware / CRA-I), Katie Siek (Indiana University / CCC), and Divesh Srivastava (AT&T / CRA-I). This workshop brought together over 40 participants, 20 being remote, from academia, industry, government, and disability advocacy groups to identify the accessibility challenges and opportunities of the […]

The US National Robotics Roadmap was first created 14 years ago. It has since been used by government agencies, universities and companies as a reference about where robotics is going. The first roadmap was published 2009, then revised 2013, 2016 and 2020. The objective is to publish the 5th version of the roadmap by spring 2024. Due to major changes in the world and the robotics landscape, the CCC published a Mid-Cycle Update to the US National Robotics Roadmap this past April. The objective is to engage about 150–200 people from academia and industry to ensure that the roadmap is representative of the community’s view of where robotics is going. […]

CCC Council Chair Emerita, Liz Bradley, was interviewed last month for a SpringerNature’s podcast segment on Athlete-scientists. As an Olympian, mathematician and Professor of Computer Science at University of Colorado Boulder, Bradley discusses the impact of athletics on personal development, the importance of discipline, and strategies for balancing sports and intellectual pursuits. Bradley first fell in love with the sport of rugby and went on to play on the New England Select team around 1979. She ended up switching to rowing due to a series of concussions that left her unable to play rugby. As a rower, she competed in the World Rowing Championships in 1986 and 1987, finishing fourth […]

Originally posted on Computing Research Policy Blog by Brian Mosley Last week the National Science Foundation released their long-anticipated guidelines covering their internal guidance for research security data-related practices. In their announcement, NSF said these, “guidelines are one of several NSF activities demonstrating that the principles of open science can align with research security standards.” The guidelines were released on the website of the Office of Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy (OCRSSP). Research Security, defined by NSF as, “safeguarding of the U.S. enterprise against the misappropriation of research and development,” has become an issue of importance in government circles, particularly in Congress, over the past few years. Several parts of the […]

Computer scientists have been attempting to harness the power of quantum computing for over two decades. Traditional computers perform calculations sequentially, one at a time. In contrast, quantum computers leverage the unique properties of sub-atomic particles, such as existing in multiple places simultaneously and demonstrating instantaneous connections across vast distances to successfully transfer quantum information between computer chips at unprecedented speeds and accuracy. So far, institutions such as Google, IBM and Microsoft have only been able to achieve simple quantum machines. A new breakthrough development in quantum, led by Professor Winfried Hensinger of Sussex University and highlighted in a recent BBC article, promises to move the needle closer to harnessing […]

Last month, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a request for comment on Artificial Intelligence (AI) system accountability measures and policies. The request sought comments pertaining to both potential and existing self-regulatory, regulatory, and other measures designed to provide reliable evidence to external stakeholders that AI systems are legal, effective, ethical, safe, and otherwise trustworthy. Written by Nadya Bliss (Arizona State University), David Danks (University of California, San Diego), Maria Gini (University of Minnesota), Jamie Gorman (Arizona State University), William Gropp (University of Illinois), Madeline Hunter (Computing Community Consortium), Odest Chadwick Jenkins (University of Michigan), David Jensen (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Daniel Lopresti (Lehigh University), Bart Selman (Cornell […]