CNN’s John Sutton has written a really great article describing sensor networks — and how they’re radically altering the way older patients lead their lives. John describes how sensor networks — installed in mattresses or on doors, refrigerators, etc. — are being used to monitor motion and vital signs, and to look for breaks in people’s normal routines. And these networks are linked to the Internet, so they can alert friends, family members, and doctors anytime something seems awry. It’s a terrific exposé about how far we’ve come in an area of health IT research… The sensors know when Charlton Hall Jr. wakes up to go to the bathroom. They know […]
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 future of social networking
November 19th, 2010 / in research horizons / by Erwin GianchandaniTo Facebook message or to e-mail? Facebook message. At least that was the conclusion of a report from Nielsen Online published earlier this year, which found that, through 2008, people spent more time on social networking websites than they did in their e-mail accounts. While the revelation wasn’t too surprising, it was an important milestone in the history of the Internet. Add to that a Sheraton Hotels survey this week, which reported that 60% of us use social media — not cell phones or e-mail — to communicate with loved ones when we’re traveling, and it’s clear that the Facebooks and Twitters of the world are here to stay. In light […]
Presidential Early Career Awards… The Value of a CS Education… and More
November 12th, 2010 / in awards, big science, policy, research horizons / by Erwin GianchandaniLots of interesting stories this past week of relevance to the field: Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers On Tuesday, the White House announced the names of 85 early-career researchers who will receive the government’s highest honor for young scientists and engineers — the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE awards were established in 1996 and are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Awardees are selected on the basis of their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology as well as their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach. […]
Ed Felten Named FTC’s First Chief Technologist
November 5th, 2010 / in awards / by Erwin GianchandaniOur colleague Ed Felten, Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs and the founding Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) at Princeton University, yesterday was named the first Chief Technologist of the Federal Trade Commission. He starts this full-time gig January 1, 2011. Ed, who has been advising the FTC as a part-time consultant, will add “unparalleled expertise on high-technology markets and computer security,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement announcing his hiring. “And he also will provide invaluable input into the recommendations we’ll be making soon for online privacy, as well as the enforcement actions we’ll soon bring to protect consumer privacy.” For more […]
A Review of NITRD
November 4th, 2010 / in policy, research horizons / by Erwin GianchandaniThe President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) today unanimously approved a draft report reviewing the 14-agency, $4 billion Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program. The 14-person working group that assisted with the biannual review, completed this summer, was co-chaired by Ed Lazowska (full disclosure: Ed is Chair of the CCC Council) and PCAST member David Shaw. In their summary of the major findings during a public session of PCAST in Washington, DC, this morning, Ed and David noted how networking and information technology (NIT) has greatly enhanced our nation’s economic competitiveness, all the while significantly accelerating the pace of discovery in all fields. They […]
GENI: Toward the Future of Global Networking
November 3rd, 2010 / in research horizons / by Erwin Gianchandani“Today is a very exciting day for GENI,” Chip Elliott, Director of the GENI Project Office (GPO), said as he kicked off the 9th GENI Engineering Conference this morning in Washington, DC. Before a hotel ballroom packed with research faculty, students, and Federal agency representatives, the nation’s best young researchers in networking and distributed systems showed off the first-ever set of research experiments on GENI, illustrating the future of network science and engineering — and what it means for our society at large. The set of live demos — with participants from around the country — were simply incredible. As background, the Global Environment for Network Innovation (GENI) Project was […]
