The Research Data Exchange (RDE) is a web-based data resource provided by the USDOT Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program. It collects, manages, and provides access to archived and real-time multi-source and multi-modal data to support the development and testing of ITS applications. The RDE now houses two months of data from the Safety Pilot Model Deployment (SPMD) program. These sets of naturalistic driving data are a valuable resource for researchers and application developers to support the development of the next generation of transportation solutions. The data sets contain sanitized mobility data elements collected from about 3000 vehicles equipped with connected vehicle technologies while traversing Ann Arbor, Michigan. These sets of […]

The next WATCH talk, called The Citizen Lab’s Mixed Methods Approach to Research on Information Controls is Thursday, January 21, 2016 from Noon-1pm ET. The presenter is Ronald J. Deibert, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. The Citizen Lab undertakes interdisciplinary research at the intersection of global security, ICTs, and human rights. He is a former founder and principal investigator of the OpenNet Initiative (2003-2014) and a founder of Psiphon, a world leader in providing open access to the Internet. Deibert is the author of Black Code: Surveillance, Privacy, and the Dark Side of the Internet (Random House: 2013), […]

The Institute for Applied Computational Science at Harvard University is hosting a one day Symposium: Brain + Machines on Friday, January 22, 2016 to explore the frontiers of neuroscience and computer science. Speakers will address the question “What are the implications of our attempts to reverse engineer the brain?” from different perspectives such as scientific research, mental health, ethical, economic, computer science, and technology. Confirmed Speakers Include: David Cox, Harvard University Nancy Kanwisher, MIT John Leonard, MIT Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University Francesca Rossi, University of Padova Andreas Tolias, Baylor College of Medicine R. Jacob Vogelstein, IARPA (Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, US government) This symposium is free and open to the public.  Register Here. […]

The Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) will host its annual “Tech Jam” event in March 2016. Information about the dates and location of the event will be announced soon. Department of Transportation (DoT) Smart City Challenge The US Department of Transportation has announced a Smart City Challenge for city leaders across America to integrate emerging technology into their transportation networks and define what it means to be a smart city when it comes to transportation. The city that develops the most innovative plan to harness technology and data to reimagine how people move will receive up to $40 million to implement it. Interested cities should act fast – initial proposals are […]

The time is now for computer science education! With the shifting economy, educators are increasingly recognizing computer science as a new basic requirement. In his final State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said that “helping students learn to write computer code” is among his goals for the year ahead. Jim Kurose, the Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) released a letter to the community acknowledging the excitement in the community but also noting to “please stay tuned as the Administration announces new steps in the coming weeks to support efforts to expand access to computer science education across the Nation.” White House Office of Science Technology Policy U.S. Chief Technology […]

This post was contributed by Shashi Shekhar, Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Council member and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Minnesota.  National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently issued the awaited INFEWS solicitation 16-524 with a budget of $50M. Proposals are due in late March, 2016. It’s estimated number of awards is between 22 and 40 across four tracks, namely, FEW system modeling, Visualization and Decision Support, Innovative Systems Solutions and Education/Workforce Development. Computing topics show up in all tracks and quite frequently in the second track. Synopsis: Humanity is reliant upon the physical resources and natural systems of the Earth […]