Continued Increase in Undergraduate CS Degree Production;

Slight Rise in Doctoral Production

By Stuart Zweben and Betsy Bizot Full Article

The CRA Taulbee Survey is conducted annually by the Computing Research Association to document trends in student enrollment, degree production, employment of graduates, and faculty salaries in academic units in the United States and Canada that grant the Ph.D. in computer science (CS), computer engineering (CE) or information (I). Most of these academic units are departments, but some are colleges or schools of information or computing. In this report, we will use the term “department” to refer to the unit offering the program. This article and the accompanying figures and tables present the enrollment and degree production results from the 41st annual CRA Taulbee Survey.

NSF Leads Federal Big Data Initiative

By Farnam Jahanian and Suzi Iacono Full Article

On March 29, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) launched a federal Big Data Research and Development Initiative (BDRDI). By improving our ability to extract knowledge and insights from large and complex collections of digital data, this initiative promises to solve some of the Nation’s most pressing challenges - in science, education, government, medicine, commerce and national security - laying the foundations for U.S. competitiveness for many decades to come.

CRA Election Results and Board Changes

By CRA Full Article

CRA recently elected five new members to its Board of Directors. They will begin three-year terms on July 1, 2012.

CRA Helps Deconstruct an iPad for Congress

By Peter Harsha Full Article

In a series of briefings dating back to last fall for Members of Congress and their staff, a set of high-profile speakers from the science community, including a Nobel Laureate, made the case for federal support of fundamental research by highlighting the role of federally supported research in the development of key technologies in Apple’s iPad, and what future benefits that support may bring.

CRA Announces Awards for Service

By CRA Full Article

The CRA Board of Directors has selected Susan L. Graham, Pehong Chen Distinguished Professor Emerita at UC Berkeley, for the Computing Research Association Distinguished Service Award 2012. Graham was selected in recognition of the extraordinary contributions that she has made over more than three decades of dedicated and selfless service and leadership. The CRA Board of Directors has selected Lucy Sanders, CEO, National Center for Women & Information Technology; Robert Schnabel, Dean, School of Informatics, Indiana University; and Telle Whitney, CEO and President of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology to receive the 2012 A. Nico Habermann Award.

Computer Science at the World Economic Forum

By Stephanie Forrest Full Article

U.S. computer science and engineering was well represented at January’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (http://www.weforum.org/). Several academic computer scientists were invited to participate in sessions known as Idea Labs, each of which was organized around a single theme and institution. Tomaso Poggio and Alex Pentland participated in a session titled “Worms, Machines and Brains with MIT”; Justine Cassell, Pradeep Khosla, Tom Mitchell and Manuela Veloso comprised a session on “Leveraging Human-Machine Collaboration with Carnegie-Mellon University”; and the author spoke in the session titled “Managing Complexity with the Santa Fe Institute.” Each 75-minute session consisted of a short introduction, usually by the university’s president, followed by (very) short talks from each presenter, and then breakout sessions following up on the talks.

The National Girls Collaborative Project:

Building the Capacity of STEM Practitioners to Develop a Diverse Workforce

By Karen Peterson Full Article

Throughout the United States, many initiatives are underway to engage youth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). There are also a large number of organizations seeking to increase diversity and gender equity in STEM. The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) occupies a unique role among these activities in that it facilitates collaboration with all stakeholders focused on increasing diversity and engagement in STEM, connects them to girl-serving STEM programs, and provides access to information and resources that enhance the impact and effectiveness of these initiatives.