Computing in Science and Engineering is out with a special issue for November/December 2011 focused on Big Data — and the significant research opportunities emerging from a growing wealth of scientific data. As guest editors Francis Alexander (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Adolfy Hoisie (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), and Alexander Szalay (Johns Hopkins University) write in their introduction: With the exponential growth in data acquisition and generation — whether by next-generation telescopes, high-throughput experiments, petascale scientific computing, or high-resolution sensors — it’s an extremely exciting time for scientific discovery. As a result of these technological advances, the next decade will see even more significant impacts in fields such as medicine, astronomy and […]

A reminder that the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the CCC Council beginning January 2012. The deadline for nominations, to be e-mailed to ccc-nominations@cra.org, is tomorrow — Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011 — at 11:59pm EST. The call for nominations is reproduced below in its entirety. The Computing Community Consortium Seeks Nominations for Council Members   What questions shape our intellectual future? What attracts the best and brightest minds of a new generation? What are the next big computing ideas — the ones that will define the future of computing, galvanize the very best students, and catalyze research investment and public support?   The Computing Community Consortium […]

Last Monday, the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) — together with the Computing Research Association’s (CRA) Government Affairs Committee — ran its first-ever Leadership in Science Policy Institute (LiSPI). Thirty-five computing researchers from around the country came to Washington to learn about U.S. science policy. Here, one of the participants — Peter Stone, an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin — shares his experiences in the daylong workshop. Scientists and politicians comprise two very different, usually mutually independent cultures.  The analytical mindset that is central to the scientific process is not as pervasive in politics, where compromise and deal-making rule the day. As a result, scientists are often reluctant to engage in […]

On Monday, the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) — together with the Computing Research Association’s (CRA) Government Affairs Committee — ran its first-ever Leadership in Science Policy Institute (LiSPI). Thirty-five computing researchers from around the country came to Washington to learn about U.S. science policy. Here, one of the participants — Beki Grinter, an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech — shares her experiences in the daylong workshop. This past Monday I participated in the first CCC/CRA Leadership in Science Policy Institute in Washington, DC. The day was broken out into different sessions focused on how the Federal budgeting process works, how to connect to agencies like the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of […]

Moments ago in downtown Washington, the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) convened its inaugural Leadership in Science Policy Institute (LiSPI), a daylong workshop intended to educate a small cadre of computing researchers about U.S. science policy. Throughout the day, the 35 participants — selected through an open nomination process earlier this year — will be attending a series of presentations and discussions with science policy experts, current and former Hill staff, and relevant agency and Administration officials about mechanics of the legislative process, interacting with agencies, advisory committees, and so on. Among the speakers and topics planned:

Today the Computing Community Consortium is issuing a call for nominations for individuals to serve on the CCC Council for three years beginning January 2012. The deadline for nominations is 11:59pm EST on Nov. 15, 2011. The complete call appears below. The Computing Community Consortium Seeks Nominations for Council Members   What questions shape our intellectual future? What attracts the best and brightest minds of a new generation? What are the next big computing ideas — the ones that will define the future of computing, galvanize the very best students, and catalyze research investment and public support?   The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is charged with catalyzing and empowering the U.S. […]