The White House has kicked off the first ever Smart Cities Week (September 15-17, 2015) in Washington, DC, announcing new steps in support of a new National Smart Cities Initiative. The National Smart Cities Initiative will invest over $160 million in federal research and leverage more than 25 new technology collaborations to help local communities tackle key challenges such as reducing traffic congestion, fighting crime, fostering economic growth, managing the effects of a changing climate, and improving the delivery of city services. The Administration’s Smart Cities Initiative will begin with a focus on three key strategies creating test beds for “Internet of Things” applications and developing new multi-sector collaborative models, collaborating with the […]

The 24-minute scientific documentary that was released this summer about the dynamics of the sun may soon be coming to a planetarium near you. “Solar Superstorms” is a new documentary that features data-driven visualizations that have been computed on the giant new supercomputing initiative, Blue Waters, based at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The documentary deputed on June 30th, 2015 at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge and has since then been appearing in over a dozen planetariums around the world. “Solar Superstorms” is part of project CADENS (Centrality of Digitally Enabled Science). CADENS is a National Science Foundation […]

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recently announced a partnership with Intel Corporation  on two new grants for $6 million to research security and privacy solutions of cyber-physical systems (CPS). Cyber-physical systems, such as smart-homes and autonomous vehicles, are part of the rise of the new Internet of Things (IoT). “Advances in the integration of information and communications technologies are transforming the way people interact with engineered systems,” said Jim Kurose, head of Computer and Information Science and Engineering at NSF. “Rigorous interdisciplinary research, such as the projects announced today in partnership with Intel, can help to better understand and mitigate threats to our critical cyber-physical systems and secure the nation’s […]

There will be a special presentation and webinar on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 on Security and Privacy: Mobile Medical Applications by Dr. David Kotz, the Champion International Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Dartmouth College.  The talk will be at the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored by the Smart and Connected Health Program and can be viewed online. Mobile medical applications offer tremendous opportunities to improve quality and access to care, reduce cost, and improve individual wellness and public health. These new technologies, whether in the form of software for smartphones as specialized devices to be worn, carried, or applied as needed, may also pose risks if they are not designed or configured with security and privacy […]

National Science Foundation (NSF) Assistant Director for the Directorate of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) James Kurose has issued the following letter to the community describing the Division Director position available: Dear Colleagues, NSF is pleased to announce the search for a Division Director for the Division of Computing and Network Systems (CNS) in the Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE).  The official announcement for this position can be found on USAJOBS at https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/414827000. CNS, one of four divisions in CISE, supports research and education activities on new computing and networking systems and technologies, while ensuring their security and privacy, and on new ways to make use of […]

The next WATCH talk, called New Frontiers in Hardware Security and Trust is Thursday, July 16, 2015 from Noon-1pm ET. The presenter is Mark Tehranipoor from the University of Florida. Mark is currently the Intel Charles E. Young Professor in Cybersecurity in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. His current research interests include: hardware security and trust, counterfeit electronics detection and prevention, supply chain risk management, and reliable and testable circuit design. Abstract Hardware security domain has received significant attention from researchers in academia, industry, and government due mainly to the globalized design, fabrication, and assembly of integrated circuits and systems. The complexity of today’s electronic components and systems supply chain […]