The Computing Research Association — the umbrella organization of the CCC — today launched an effort to engage the computing research community in a conversation about PostDocs, at a time when a growing number of recent PhDs in computer science and allied fields are pursuing postdoctoral fellowships. According to data from CRA’s annual Taulbee Survey, the numbers of new PostDocs soared from 60 in 1998 to 159 in 2009 (three-year rolling averages), while the numbers of new tenure-track faculty positions declined sharply, from 224 in 2004 to 151 in 2009 (again, three-year rolling averages).  Moreover, the numbers of recent PhDs who are hired into industry immediately out of graduate school […]

As we blogged in this space a few weeks back, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology issued a report on the nation’s $4.3 billion Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program in mid-December.  The report calls for new multi-agency NIT R&D initiatives that support high-risk/high-reward research in areas of particular importance to the nation, including health information technology, energy and transportation, and security and robustness of cyber-infrastructure. As part of the report roll-out, the importance of information technology research and development was highlighted by several leading Federal officials — including Aneesh Chopra, the nation’s Chief Technology Officer; Vivek Kundra, the Chief Information Officer; and Tom Kalil, Deputy […]

A few interesting news stories in the past week: What is “Watson”? Word came on Tuesday that “Watson,” an IBM supercomputer system, will take on Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter — the two most successful players in “Jeopardy” history — on three episodes of the show slated for broadcast Feb. 14-16, 2011. As we’ve previously highlighted in this space, the New York Times Magazine profiled “Watson” this past summer.  In that article, the Times Magazine provided a step-by-step account of the AI/machine learning challenges and advances underlying the development of the advanced “question answering” machine. Now, in the man v. man v. machine challenge scheduled to air early next year, […]

As previously noted in this space, on Thursday, December 16th at 2:15 p.m. EST, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) will release and discuss its report entitled “Designing a Digital Future:  Federally Funded Research and Development in Networking and Information Technology.” This Congressionally-mandated report assesses the status and direction of the Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program — a 14-agency, $4.3 billion enterprise that comprises the government’s unclassified networking and information technology R&D investments. An announcement of this important event for our community, along with a link to the live webcast, and, following the event, a copy of the report and a web archive of the event, can be found on […]

There’s been lots of coverage elsewhere, but just a reminder that it’s CSEdWeek.  Congress declared Dec. 5-11, 2010, as Computer Science Education Week “to recognize the critical role of computing in today’s society and the imperative to bolster computer science education at all levels.”  Several planned events and activities are taking place throughout the nation to “illustrate how computer science education is essential for exposing students to critical thinking and problem-solving; instilling understanding of computational thinking for success in the digital area; and preparing students to attack the world’s most challenging problems from a computation perspective.” For example, on Wednesday, NSF hosted a webcast highlighting two NSF-funded research programs that are aiming to […]

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) on Wednesday released a report on health information technology titled “Realizing the Full Potential of Health Information Technology to Improve Healthcare for Americans:  The Path Forward.”  The report “calls for adoption of a universal exchange language to mobilize data, improve healthcare, enhance privacy, and cut costs.”  Meantime, PCAST yesterday announced that a Congressionally-mandated biennial review of the NITRD program will be released next Thursday afternoon. During Wednesday’s health IT report roll-out at the Department of Health and Human Services, PCAST co-chair Eric Lander said, “The United States spends more on healthcare as a fraction of gross domestic product than any other […]