The Computing Community Consortium today issued a call for nominations for individuals to serve on the CCC Council for the next three years.  The deadline for nominations is December 15.  See complete details — including nominating instructions — below. What questions shape our intellectual future? What attracts the best and brightest minds of a new generation? What are the next big computing ideas – the ones that will define the future of computing, galvanize the very best students, and catalyze research investment and public support? The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is charged with mobilizing the computing research community to answer these questions by identifying major research opportunities for the field, […]

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 […]

To 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 […]

Lots 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. […]

Our 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 […]

The 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 […]