In this installment of CCC Weekly Computing News, we are sharing an interesting relationship between Minecraft and Arizona State University (ASU) as a part of the The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) AI Forward initiative.  Teaching AI about social intelligence through Minecraft ASU, in partnership with Aptima, a company that develops solutions to optimize and improve human performance in mission-critical, technology-intensive settings, used Minecraft’s immersive and dynamic environment to conduct groundbreaking research on AI’s social intelligence. Through the Artificial Social Intelligence for Successful Teams (ASIST) project, a four-year program funded by DARPA, researchers collected data from over 1,160 Minecraft games, creating the largest publicly available dataset on human-AI team […]

In a series of six engaging roundtable discussions led by the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), 40 computing research experts from academia, industry, and government explored the complexities of interdisciplinary computing.  Their goal: to pinpoint the hurdles and needs for fostering effective cross-disciplinary research. The consensus? Each team member brings a unique set of skills and viewpoints that, while invaluable, can sometimes be challenging to harmonize. Differences in institutional incentives, disciplinary norms, and expectations can complicate collaboration. Based on a qualitative analysis of these discussions and existing research in the field, the task force crafted a best practices document to help researchers navigate the interdisciplinary landscape from start to finish. Here […]

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is excited to announce that former council member Chad Jenkins has been awarded the 2024 Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award by the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT).  This honor recognizes his significant contributions to computing, including his research in robot learning and human-robot interaction, and his efforts to diversify the field. Jenkins, a Professor of Robotics and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, has made notable impacts in his field, such as developing methods for robots to assist people in everyday settings. He has also been active in leadership roles, including serving as Vice President for […]

To celebrate its 35th anniversary, HPCwire has introduced a new annual recognition called the HPCwire 35 Legends. This initiative honors 35 influential figures who have significantly shaped the high-performance computing (HPC) field over the past 35 years. The list includes researchers, inventors, and executives who have driven technological and commercial advancements in HPC. The program is supported by major sponsors including Intel, Hammerspace, HPE, NCSA, and Vdura. The first 17 honorees have been announced, with the rest to be revealed next month. All honorees will be featured on a dedicated microsite and in a downloadable magazine. Among the first honorees announced was council member Bill Gropp, recognized for his leadership […]

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is proud to announce that one of its newest council members, Manish Parashar, won the 2024 Computing Research Association (CRA) Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding contributions to computing research. Currently a professor and director at the University of Utah’s Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, Parashar has also served as the Office Director of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. The CRA Distinguished Service Award recognizes significant contributions in areas like government affairs, professional societies, and leadership. Parashar’s work, particularly in cyberinfrastructure, has had a global impact. His career includes pioneering autonomic computing, advancing translational computer science, and leading major initiatives at […]

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is pleased to announce another council member, Holly Yanco, has been appointed to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group beginning in August 2024. Yanco is very excited about joining the group and believes it’s a great opportunity to help vision new strategies that will be coming to computer science and robotics.  “I’m eager to work with a group of people who have knowledge in interesting areas that I haven’t explored,” Yanco said. “I’m excited to go out and learn about their process, which will enable me to see visioning from another perspective.” Yanco’s expertise in human-robot interaction, […]