The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) congratulates Michael Stonebraker from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on receiving the 2014 ACM Turing Award for fundamental contributions to the concepts and practices underlying modern database systems. From the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) Website: An adjunct professor of computer science and engineering at MIT and a principal investigator at CSAIL, Stonebraker sometimes jokes that he didn’t know what he was researching for more than 30 years. “But then, out of nowhere, some marketing guys started talking about ‘big data,’” he says. “That’s when I realized that I’d been studying this thing for the better part of my academic life.” From the Turing […]

A careful distinction between quality and quantity is key to promoting the future growth of the computing and information field. Toward that end, Batya Friedman, Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, and Fred B. Schneider, Chair of the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University, put together a Best Practices Memo that advocates adjustments to hiring, promotion, and tenure practices as well as to the publication culture. Contributions in a small number of high quality publications or artifacts are what should be emphasized; success as a researcher is then not primarily a matter of numbers. These Best Practices recommendations were developed over an 18-month period by the Computing […]

Be sure to tune into the White House Science Fair on Monday to see future computer science researchers like Sreya Atluri, Maureen “Reeny” Botros, and Sophia Sánchez-Maes. They are honored guests at the fifth White House Science Fair and recipients of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. Included at the Science Fair will be a TV personality, Cierra Ramirez who plays Mariana Foster in the ABC Family series, The Fosters. On the show, Cierra’s character is learning how to code and will attend a hackathon this season. She is working hard to change stereotypes and be a role model for young girls. For more information, see the White House […]

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), have joined to support the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science program. This program supports active long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, Computer and Information Science, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers and community college and university faculty and students to bring knowledge of engineering or computer and information science and engineering as well as technological innovation to pre-college/community college classrooms. The goal of these partnerships is to enable K-12 STEM teachers and community college faculty to translate their research experiences and new knowledge gained in […]

Back in 2001, two computer scientists named Paul Viola and Michael Jones came up with a face detection algorithm called Detector Cascade. The algorithm was so simple and fast that it was built into many commercial products such as smartphones and digital cameras. We became very used to seeing that little box pop up around a person’s face when trying to take a picture. However, there were some problems with the algorithm. It was 2001 after all. The Detector Cascade could only detect a face if a person was facing the camera head-on. At any other angle, including upside down, we were out of luck. That is, until recently. Sachin […]

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is pleased to announce a Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 1:30 pm (ET) by Dr. Daniel Reed titled The Future of Computing-Mediated Research and Innovation. Dr. Reed is Vice President for Research and Economic Development, as well as University Chair in Computational Science and Bioinformatics and Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Medicine, at the University of Iowa. Previously he served as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and was a former Computing Research Association (CRA) Board of Directors Chair. Abstract   In science and engineering, a tsunami of new experimental […]