On April 2, 2013, President Obama launched the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative to revolutionize our understanding of the human mind and uncover new ways to treat, prevent, and cure brain disorders. This multi-agency effort includes funding opportunities from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In mid-November, DARPA announced two programs as a part of this Initiative: SUBNETS (Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies) and RAM (Restoring Active Memory). The NIH plans to invest $40 million in Fiscal Year 2014 and has announced six funding opportunities for the BRAIN Initiative. “The first wave of NIH investments in the BRAIN initiative will focus largely on technology development that will advance […]

On Monday, November 25, 2013, Alessandro Acquisti from Carnegie Mellon University will present at the next Washington Area Trustworthy Computing Hour (WATCH), a series of thought-provoking talks by innovative thinkers with ideas that illuminate the challenges and provide signposts toward solutions in trustworthy computing.  The title of his talk is An Experiment in Hiring Discrimination via Online Social Networks. The series is jointly organized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and Social, Behavioral, and Economic (SBE) Directorates, and sponsored by the CISE Trustworthy Computing Program. The abstract: Anecdotal evidence and self-report surveys suggest that U.S. firms are using Web 2.0 and social networking sites to seek information about prospective hires. However, […]

On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, the first non-human rang the closing bell on the NASDAQ stock market. A robotic arm was selected to ring the bell to mark the launch of a new robotics stock index, ROBO-STOX, which is the first index to benchmark the value of robotics, automation and related technologies. Click here to watch the robotic arm in action at NASDAQ. Forbes.com announced the milestone event and additional details about the robotic arm equipped with a three-fingered gripper. They also included thoughts on the future of the robotics industry. The debate over the state of the robotics industry and its future continues – sell to academic labs or push […]

The National Science Foundation is looking to hire a Deputy Division Director in the Division of Computing and Communication Foundations, a unit within the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). According to the USAJOBS website, this position: Serves in the Division responsible for administering CISE programs and activities that seek advances in computing and communication theory, algorithms for computer and computational sciences, and architecture and design of computers and software. CCF-supported projects also investigate revolutionary computing paradigms based on emerging scientific ideas and integrate research and education activities to prepare future generations of computer science and engineering workers.  The Deputy Division Director participates with the Division Director in providing […]

A multi-agency partnership of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an updated National Robotics Initiative Solicitation. There are some changes from the previous version, including dates, so please view the new solicitation here. “The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively with, people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots acting in direct support of and in a symbiotic relationship with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the […]

The ACM History Committee (http://history.acm.org/) is sponsoring a two-day archiving workshop to help diffuse knowledge of professional archival practices into ACM’s membership and others with an active interest in preserving our computer heritage. Applications are invited to a two-day archiving workshop, to be held 21-22 May 2014 at the Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For each successful application, one person’s expenses for workshop travel, lodging, and meals will be paid by the ACM History Committee. Project proposals are due by 15 January 2014. The details can be found at http://history.acm.org/public/public_documents/acm_hc_2014.php