The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced its first wave of investments totaling $46 million to support the goals of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. President Obama launched the BRAIN Initiative in April 2013 as a new research effort to revolutionize our understanding of the human mind and uncover new ways to treat, prevent, and cure brain disorders. The initiative is a joint program with funding through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). This first wave of investments through NIH will fund more than 100 investigators so they can develop new tools and technologies to understand neural circuit […]

Agencies of the Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program are planning to develop a joint National Privacy Research Strategy. On behalf of the agencies, the Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and Development Senior Steering Group seeks public input on the vital privacy objectives that should be considered for the goals of the strategy. The National Privacy Research Strategy will be used to guide federally-funded privacy research and provide a framework for coordinating research and development in privacy-enhancing technologies. Responders are asked to answer one or more questions in the following areas: Privacy objectives Assessment capabilities Multi-disciplinary approach Privacy architectures All submissions must be 20 pages […]

On September 10-11, the CCC co-hosted a visioning workshop focused on technologies that will allow older adults and people with disabilities to “age in place,” remain in their homes longer, reduce health care costs and enhance quality of life. CCC partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to organize the “Trans-NIH/Interagency Workshop on the Use and Development of Assistive Technology for the Aging Population and People with Chronic Disabilities.” Held on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD, the engaging workshop brought together a diverse set of experts – computer science researchers, medical practitioners, and government officials from numerous agencies (NIH, NSF, NIDRR, HUD, VA, FDA, CMS), to chart a course […]

The following is a special contribution to this blog by Jane Stout, Director of CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP).   The CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP) has published a report on the topic of Industry versus Academic Postdocs in computing. The report uses both survey and focus group data to assess the experiences of individuals who have completed a computing related postdoc in either an industry or academic setting. Findings suggest that Industry Postdocs feel better able to manage professional responsibilities, have better relationships with their advisor and feel more welcomed in the work environment compared to Academic Postdocs. Through comparing and contrasting postdocs’ experiences in the two settings, CERP’s report sheds […]

On July 31, 2014, Dr. Farnam Jahanian, Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), announced the appointment of Dr. Lynne Parker as the new Division Director for the Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) Division within the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate.  Below is Dr. Jahanian’s letter to the CISE community. Dear CISE Community, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lynne E. Parker to the position of Division Director for the CISE Division of Information & Intelligent Systems (IIS), effective January 2015.  She will be joining NSF from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK), where she is Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Electrical Engineering […]

In 2009, President Obama issued a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government.  That memorandum has been followed by additional memorandums and Executive Orders resulting in the Open Government Initiative.  As a result of this initiative, governments (both federal and local) are releasing data feeds, which have enabled the creation and use of new applications, from real-time accurate traffic information to localized crime reporting. While the Initiative is presented as “an unqualified good” there are some questions about the impact on citizens.  As such, the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology and Microsoft have issued an RFP to further explore the technical, legal, and regulatory implications of Open Data.  From the solicitation: The […]