The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently released a request for information (RFI) on Federal Priorities for Information Integrity Research and Development. The purpose of the RFI is to gain input on how to “enable research and development activities to advance the trustworthiness of information, mitigate the effects of information manipulation, and foster an environment of trust and resilience in which individuals can be discerning consumers of information.” There is so much information on the internet these days and so few ways for the general public to verify what is true and what is not. This has […]

Originally posted on the Computing Research Policy Blog by Brian Mosley Yesterday the Director of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, formally announced the establishment of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, or TIP. This is the first new NSF directorate established in more than 30 years. This move came about because of the passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus appropriations bill by Congress last week, which stipulated that NSF was authorized to establish this new directorate. TIP’s mission is to position NSF as the nation’s lead science agency for innovation and to maintain the country’s competitiveness in new research fields and technology. As Dr. Panchanathan said in […]

The following is a joint Dear Colleague Letter from three Assistant Directors at the National Science Foundation –  Sylvia Butterfield (EHR), Kellina Craig-Henderson (SBE) and Margaret Martonosi (CISE). The letter calls for high-impact proposals in the information integrity and security space.  Dear Colleagues: One of the biggest challenges we face in society today is ensuring that the information that we depend on in almost every facet of our lives is accurate and trustworthy. Although information manipulated for political, ideological, or commercial gain is not new, the dissemination of inaccurate information at unprecedented speed and scale in the modern digital landscape is a new phenomenon with potential for vast harm. There […]

The National Science Foundation is currently seeking nominations for the National Medal of Science (NMS), the highest recognition the nation can bestow on scientists and engineers. In 1959, the 86th Congress established the NMS as a Presidential Award, given to individuals “deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences.” The award has since been expanded to include social and behavioral scientists.  A committee of scientists and engineers appointed by the President evaluate the nominees taking into consideration scientific and engineering achievement along with broader impacts in promoting scientific advancements and in societal benefits. So far 506 scientists and […]

Latanya Sweeney, Harvard University, will present “How Technology Will Dictate Our Civic Future,” as part the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) Distinguished Lecture Series on February 10th, 2022 from 12pm – 1:15pm EDT.  Latanya Sweeney is the Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School and in the a part of the faculty for the Department of Arts and Sciences. In addition, she is the Editor-in-Chief of Technology Science, director and founder of the Public Interest Tech Lab and of the Data Privacy Lab. Before coming to Harvard she was the Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. […]

The US and United Kingdom (UK) will collaborate on a series of innovation prize challenges to catalyze research and advancements related to privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs). These technologies give the user greater control over the data being processed to protect personal information and intellectual property. The aim of the prize challenge is to bring together the top minds in both countries to encourage and facilitate the adoption of PETs. As a large problem area and growing concern among scientists, both countries heavily invested in privacy-enhancing technologies over the past decade. PETs are already used to address a number of societal problems from Covid-19 contact tracing to protecting online banking transactions. This […]