Feb

25

Want a Job? Major in CS.

Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments

Carolyn Duffy Marsan writes in Network World that undergraduate enrollments in computer science are rising significantly at some of the nation’s large CS departments.   For example, in comparison to last year,  UIUC,  CMU, and Georgia Tech  report increases in applications of 26%, 14%, and 5%, respectively.  Stanford reports that 20% more students are taking an introductory computer science course this year.

Feb

23

ARPA-E’s Arun Majumdar on Energy Research

Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments

Arun Majumdar, the Director of ARPA-E, spoke at the University of Washington on February 18th regarding the energy challenges facing our nation. While his talk was not specifically oriented towards computer scientists, it is inspirational, and it is obvious that a broad range of advances in computer science are essential to creating a sustainable future for our nation and our world.

ARPA-E is a new office of the Department of Energy focused on extramural breakthrough research, in the DARPA tradition.

Watch Majumdar’s talk here. See white papers on the essential role of computing research here, here, and here.

Feb

23

Computer Science and America’s Priorities

Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments

Jeannette Wing, Assistant Director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation, addressed the CRA Computing Leadership Summit in Washington DC on February 22.

Wing noted that NSF’s CISE and ENG Directorates fared particularly well in the President’s FY2011 budget request.  She attributed this to two factors:

  • These fields drive innovation that creates jobs and increases America’s competitiveness.
  • These fields are closely aligned with the Administration’s four science and technology budget priorities:
  • Applying science and technology strategies to drive economic recovery, job creation, and economic growth;
  • Promoting innovative energy technologies to reduce dependence on energy imports and mitigate the impact of climate change, while creating green jobs and new businesses;
  • Applying biomedical science and information technology to help Americans live longer, healthier lives while reducing health care costs; and
  • Assuring we have the technologies needed to protect our troops, citizens, and national interests, including those needed to verify arms control and nonproliferation agreements essential to our security.

Read the President’s science and technology budget priorities memorandum here. See the President’s FY2011 NSF budget request here.

Next Page →