Community Leadership to Support Computer Science Research

1
Community Leadership to Support Computer Science
Research

• US-China Computer Science Summit II
• Bryant W. York
• July 11, 2008

2
Charge to the Panel

• We would like to ask you to address the ways in
  which interests of the community shape the
  research agenda in computer science.
• To what extent is this "bottom-up" vs.
  "top-down"?
• To what extent does funding emphasis lead
  research or vice versa?
• What is the role of practical applications?
• Can industry influence the direction of research
  in universities? If so, how?
• What is a role for US-China collaborations in
  shaping the research agenda for computer science?
  
• What factors influence the choice of research
  topics, especially factors that originate in the
  larger society in which we live and work?

3
How do top-down and bottom-up interests shape the
computing research agenda?

• Top-Down
• Administration Hot Buttons
• Broad Initiatives (ITR, CyberTrust, GENI, )
• Research and the National Needs (RANN)
• Human Capital Development
• America Competes (ACI)
• PITAC, PCAST
• Bottom-UP
• Computing Community Consortium (CCC)
• Professional Society Working Groups - ACM, CRA,
  IEEE-CS and SIGs
• Editorials in major journals
• Federally funded workshops
• NRC/CSTB solicitation of community input, reports
• Individuals

4
Is funding emphasis the primary research driver?

• Young researchers must chase the dollars
• Incremental research dominates novel
• Risks and rewards
• Panelists/reviewers
• Program officers
• Congresspersons
• The nature of research is failurePeter Lucas,
  IBM Research, 1979

5
Other Issues

• What is the role of practical applications?
• Global Climate Change
• Air Quality
• Water Quality
• Worldwide Food Shortages
• Health and Disease Control
• Obesity
• HIV/AIDS
• Recovery from Natural Disasters
• http//www.engineeringchallenges.org
• Can industry influence the direction of research
  in universities?
• Of course
• What factors influence the choice of research
  topics, especially factors that originate in the
  larger society in which we live and work?
• War, economic and social costs
• Near term economic well being
• Increasing globalization
• (inter) national security
• Hope for the survival of the species (yeye nainai
  hen gaoxing syndrome)
• Social conscience

6
What is the role of US-China collaborations in
shaping the research agenda for computer science?

• Demonstrate the tangible results of fruitful
  research collaborations to the appropriate
  bodies
• NSF, NRC/CSTB, U.S. Congress
• CAS, NNSFC, Beijing Central Government
• Stimulate policy debate based on sound scientific
  conclusions
• Develop factual, scientific arguments that meld
  the policy objectives of both sides
• Press for shared research infrastructure
• GLORIAD,

7
How do we cultivate the next generation of
computing research leaders?

• Identify leaders at all career levels
• Individual Research Track Record
• Not just a paper count
• True Impact
• Problem Solvers vs. Field/Sub-field Generators
• Research Management Track Record
• Provide mentoring, Give them the big picture
  early
• Challenge them
• Allow/Create counterpoint foment public debate
  around CS research issues
• Embrace diversity

8
Three Ideas

• Create a venue for the annual celebration of
  International Collaborative IT Research.
• i.e. a conference in which all submissions must
  be from international collaborations
• Sponsor an annual meeting which brings together
  China Key Lab Directors in IT (and related), and
  NSF STC, ERC, and SLC Directors.
• Bring together international experts to design
  and implement an international CS Leadership
  Institute a one month summer institute.

9
Just as world leaders have come in all ages,
genders, shapes, sizes, colors, ethnicities,
philosophical, political, religious persuasions,
and personalities
Embrace Diversity!
10
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Ji suan ji ren wei
Computational Thinking
Zai Lijiang ,Naxi ren gaosu laowai sheng ming de
mimi
In Lijiang, a Naxi person tells a foreigner the
secret of life
11
Some Relevant Quotes

• I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do
  and I understand. Confucius
• The cardinal responsibility of leadership is to
  identify the dominant contradiction at each point
  of the historical process and to work out a
  central line to resolve it. Mao Tse-Tung
• Enable every woman who can work to take her place
  on the labour front, under the principle of equal
  pay for equal work. Mao Tse-Tung
• Women hold up half the sky. Mao Tse-Tung

12
Some Relevant Quotes

• Nothing is more dangerous than a dogmatic
  worldview - nothing more constraining, more
  blinding to innovation, more destructive of
  openness to novelty. Stephen Jay Gould
• Fires can't be made with dead embers, nor can
  enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men.
  Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens effort and
  turns even labor into pleasant tasks. James A.
  Baldwin
• A nation or civilization that continues to
  produce soft-minded men purchases its own
  spiritual death on the installment plan. Martin
  Luther King, Jr.
• Efforts and courage are not enough without
  purpose and direction. John F. Kennedy

13
References

• China Inc., Ted Fishman, Scribner, New York, 2005
• The Quintessential Questions of Computer Science,
  Al Ahohttp//www1.cs.columbia.edu/aho/Talks/07-1
  1-14_Columbia.pdf
• NAE Grand Challenges for Engineeringhttp//www.en
  gineeringchallenges.org/
• Google Lunar XPrizehttp//www.google.com/space/
• iPlant Collaborative, U. Arizonahttp//www.cs.ari
  zona.edu/news/articles/200801-iplant.html