Computing Community Consortium Blog

The goal of the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is to catalyze the computing research community to debate longer range, more audacious research challenges; to build consensus around research visions; to evolve the most promising visions toward clearly defined initiatives; and to work with the funding organizations to move challenges and visions toward funding initiatives. The purpose of this blog is to provide a more immediate, online mechanism for dissemination of visioning concepts and community discussion/debate about them.


The Power of Allies: Dr. Margo Seltzer’s Advice on Fostering Inclusivity in Tech

November 9th, 2023 / in CCC / by Catherine Gill

  At the 10th Heidelberg Laureate Forum, we spoke with panelist Dr. Margo Seltzer about women in computer science in the past decade. Today, Professor Seltzer, who is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Computer Systems and the Cheriton Family Chair in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, discusses how to raise those numbers. This article is a continuation of our interview with Dr. Seltzer. The first half of this interview can be viewed here.   QUESTION: “What can young researchers do to address the gender disparity in CS?”   ANSWER: “The most important message goes to both senior and junior researchers alike. This has been my mantra for […]

Bridging the Gender Gap in Computing: Why Hollywood Needs an ‘L.A. Law’ Equivalent for High Tech Firms – An Interview with Dr. Margo Seltzer

November 8th, 2023 / in CCC / by Catherine Gill

    Heads-up, Hollywood writers: We need an “L.A. Law” series that injects some high glamor into high tech. Just as the 80s-era legal drama burnished the appeal of high-stakes litigation, a well-written tech series might draw young people, particularly women, into computer science, said Dr. Margo Seltzer, the Cheriton Family Chair in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia in Canada, and former CCC Council member.   “When you think of a computer scientist,” Professor Seltzer said in a 2012 interview with Txnologist, you think of a “nerdy guy with no social skills and all he ever wants to do is program.” She hasn’t seen a great deal […]

CRA Accepting Applications for Director of Research Community Initiatives

November 2nd, 2023 / in Uncategorized / by Maddy Hunter

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is seeking high-achieving applicants for the position of Director of Research Community Initiatives.  This role is responsible for managing the internal Computing Community Consortium (CCC) staff and working closely with the CCC Council of 24 computing community members in their pursuit of high-impact research through visioning workshops, white papers, and symposiums.  “If you’re a member of the computing research community and are looking for an opportunity that’ll have a significant positive impact, this may be the role for you,” said Tracy Camp, Executive Director and CEO of CRA. “Through convening and collaborating, this position is at the center of articulating and advancing visions for the […]

CCC’s Ann Schwartz Embarks on New Journey at The White House

November 1st, 2023 / in Announcements, CCC / by Maddy Hunter

Ann Schwartz, who has dedicated 11 years to the Computing Research Association (CRA) and the Computing Community Consortium (CCC)–most recently as the Director of Research Community Initiatives–is now embarking on an exciting new opportunity with The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy In her new role, Dr. Schwartz will act as the inaugural Program Manager for the Pilot Office of the National Strategic Computing Reserve (NSCR). As described in the blueprint report of the National Science and Technology Council, the NSCR is envisioned as a coalition of resource providers that can be called up in times of urgent national needs to provide critical cyberinfrastructure capabilities and services to […]

The CRA Career Mentoring Workshops Now Accepting Applications

October 31st, 2023 / in CRA-I / by Maddy Hunter

Written by Helen Wright and originally posted on the CRA-I Blog The Computing Research Association (CRA) is now accepting applications for its biennial CRA Career Mentoring Workshops (CMWs). The workshops provide valuable career advice and mentoring activities to people just beginning or in the early stages of their computing research careers. Building on the success of more than two decades of workshops for starting a tenure-track position in academia, this year’s program is expanded to include a workshop on teaching and a track on launching a computing research career in industry. Taking place in Washington, D.C., participants have the option to join one or both workshops. CMW: Teaching will be held February […]

CCC Council Members Publish White Paper on Algorithmic Robustness

October 17th, 2023 / in Announcements, CCC, CCC-led white papers / by Haley Griffin

CCC Council Members David Jensen (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Brian LaMacchia (Farcaster Consulting Group, LLC), Ufuk Topcu (University of Texas Austin), and Pamela Wisniewski (Vanderbilt University), wrote a white paper titled “Algorithmic Robustness,” that has just been published on the CCC Website. The group was part of the Socio-technical Resilience Task Force in 2022-23. Computational systems are pervasive throughout every sector of society, and the authors emphasize the need for such systems to be robust. Robustness is the “sustained performance of a computational system in the face of change in the nature of the environment in which that system operates or in the task that the system is meant to […]