The National Science Foundation’s Directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) have issued a joint solicitation for interdisciplinary research and education projects that develop new knowledge at the interface of between computer science and economics & social sciences. From the RFP: An important research interaction has emerged at the interface of computing and economics and social sciences. The synergy between these fields creates a rich opportunity for studying questions that involve interconnected systems with economic and social aspects. This research interaction has already led to the identification of a number of underlying principles and research themes. These include network structures in economic interaction, […]

As we’ve previously reported in this space, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently issued a series of solicitations as part of its multi-year Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) initiative. Today the NSF’s CISE Directorate announced that it will be holding a pair of webinars later this month and early next month to provide an overview of these solicitations for researchers — with a particular focus on details that are likely to be of interest to the CISE community: The main purpose of [these webinars] is to help the CISE community to take advantage of the interdisciplinary research funding opportunities for FY 12 in [this] emerging area… Details about the webinars — including instructions for […]

(This post has been updated; please scroll down for the latest.) The NSF’s CISE Directorate has issued a call for white papers for the new US Ignite initiative: The National Science Foundation invites white papers from individuals and organizations (e.g., academic, non-profit, industry, associations, government agencies) that want to express particular interest in the US Ignite initiative — as a partner/resource/infrastructure provider; researcher/innovator for gigabit application development in areas of national priority; or as an entity willing to set up a not-for-profit to govern US Ignite resources in a public-private partnership…

The following is a special contribution to this blog by Doug Fisher, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University. From July 2007 to August 2010, Doug served as a Program Director in the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) within NSF’s CISE Directorate. He has agreed to describe something of his life as a NSF PD so that others can judge whether it might be something they would like to try. To contact him, e-mail douglas.h.fisher@vanderbilt.edu. In November 2006, I received a call from a colleague suggesting I apply for a PD opening at NSF. Prior to his call, I had determined to reorient my […]

The NSF’s CISE Directorate has issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), calling to attention the outputs of a multi-agency, invitational workshop on Cyber Security Data for Experimentation (CSDE). The workshop — which was held last year through the collaboration of the NSF, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Treasury Department, as well as other Federal agencies — sought to find new ways for industrial partners to exchange relevant data with academic researchers. Academic, industry, and government participants engaged in spirited discussion and developed a deeper understanding of the issues involved in gaining access to industrial data sources and sharing research results based on those data…   One positive outcome […]

(This post has been updated; please scroll down for the latest.) Yesterday, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a competition for Sustainability Research Networks (SRNs) — part of the broader NSF investment in Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) — seeking to foster collaborative, multi-disciplinary approaches for pursuing the fundamental science and engineering necessary to understand and overcome barriers to sustainable human well-being. From the official solicitation: Sustainability Research Networks will engage and explore fundamental theoretical issues and empirical questions in sustainability science, engineering, and education that will increase our understanding of the ultimate sustainability challenge — maintaining and improving the quality of life for the nation within a healthy Earth system. […]