Pillars of Societal Innovation: Research and Education in Computing
Abstract
The computer, communication, and information science and engineering discipline is at the center of an ongoing societal transformation. The explosive growth of scientific and social data, wireless connectivity at broadband speeds for billions of mobile endpoints, and seamless access to resources in the “cloud” are transforming the way we work, learn, play, and communicate. Computing and information research and education form a pervasive intellectual fabric that connects awide range of disciplines. Investment in ambitious long-term research and commitment to the development of a computing and information technology workforce are a national imperative. I will describe CISE priorities and strategic initiatives at NSF that promise to accelerate the pace of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations, lead to advances that are key drivers of economic competitiveness, and are crucial to addressing the grand challenges that face society today.
Bio
Farnam Jahanian leads the National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). He guides CISE, with a budget of over $650 million, in its mission to uphold the nation's leadership in computer and information science and engineering through its support for fundamental and transformative advances. Dr. Jahanian is also co-chair of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council Committee on Technology, providing overall coordination for the activities of 15 government agencies.
Dr. Jahanian is on leave from the University of Michigan, where he holds the Edward S. Davidson Collegiate Professorship and served as Chair for Computer Science and Engineering from 2007 – 2011 and as Director of the Software Systems Laboratory from 1997 – 2000. His research on Internet infrastructure security formed the basis for the Internet security company Arbor Networks, which he co-founded in 2001. He served as Chairman of Arbor Networks until its acquisition in 2010. Dr. Jahanian holds a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
This talk is organized by Adelaide Findlay