A joint report of Informatics Europe and the ACM Europe Working Group on Informatics Education was recently released.  The report highlights what is currently being done well and what needs to be changed.  Namely, the European schools are generally teaching digital literacy, but not informatics.  This is inline with what is currently going on in K-12 schools throughout the United States as well – US students are learning digital literacy – how to use a computer, write documents, etc., but students are not learning computer science – how to be creators of the technology. The European Report lays out the issues in a clear, succinct way and provides suggestions on […]

Yesterday, the President submitted his FY14 budget request to Congress.  This request included an 8.4% increase over 2012 levels for NSF, with a 9.8% increase in funding over 2012 for the Computer & Information Science & Engineering  Directorate. “The CISE FY 2014 Request is shaped by investments in core research, education and infrastructure programs as well as investments in a cross-cutting portfolio that aligns closely with national priorities and societal challenges.” – Farnam Jahanian, CISE AD You can read Farnam Jahanian’s letter to the CISE community about the FY14 Budget here.

Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County delivered an inspirational TED talk on the importance of STEM education. Click here to view the TED talk video: the four pilars of college success in science. During his 20-year run as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Freeman Hrabowski has transformed a young university into a research institution recognized as one of the most innovative in the country. His goal: continue building a campus that’s first-rate in research and instruction, and that prepares students of all backgrounds for success.    

In conjunction with the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, we are pleased to announce that registration is now open for a Symposium on Visions on the Theory of Computing.  The Symposium will be held May 29-31 at the Simons Institute in Berkeley, California. This three-day symposium will bring together distinguished speakers and participants from the Bay Area and all over the world to celebrate both the excitement of fundamental research on the Theory of Computing, and the accomplishments and promise of computational research in effecting progress in other sciences — the two pillars of the Institute’s research agenda. For more information about the Symposium and to register, please […]

Computing Reviews (an ACM/ThinkLoud publication) has released the 2012 Best Reviews & Notable Books and Articles in Computer Science. The Best Review of 2012 is the review of The Universal Computer by George Hacken. Read the 18 nominated reviews here: http://www.computingreviews.com/recommend/bestof/bestreviews_2012.cfm In addition to Best Reviews, they have also compiled a list of notable books and articles in computing that were published in 2012. These 91 items were nominated by their reviewers, CR category editors, the editors in chief of journals they cover, and others in the computing community. The list of notable items in computing is available here: http://www.computingreviews.com/recommend/bestof/notableitems_2012.cfm and can also be downloaded as a PDF. We hope this provides a […]

Last week, there were great advancements in Supercomputing as two new facilities were officially opened to the research community. This week, supercomputers are making headlines for a totally different reason: The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Supercomputing Center in Wyoming has taken top prize in the 2013 Green Enterprise IT Awards.  The facility won first place in the “Facility Design Implementation” category for its sustainable approach in design and building.  This is only fitting, as the supercomputer at this facility is dedicated to Earth system science research. “Our goal is to meet the highest standards possible for sustainability in supercomputing while advancing scientific knowledge,” says Thomas Bogdan, president of the University […]