Calling for 2011-12 Computing Innovation Fellows – Applications Due May 31

On May 4, 2011, In Computing Community Consortium (CCC), CRA, People, By Peter Harsha

(Crossposted with the CCC Blog!)

Today, the Computing Community Consortium, a standing committee of the Computing Research Association, is pleased to announce a call for 2011-12 Computing Innovation Fellows (CIFellows). The CIFellows Project, established in 2009 with support from the National Science Foundation, offers recent Ph.D. graduates in computer science, computer engineering, information science, or a closely related field an exciting opportunity to obtain one- to two-year positions at universities, industrial research laboratories, and other organizations that are pursuing innovation in computing and its positive impact on society. I encourage applications from recently graduated/graduating Ph.D.s by the May 31, 2011, deadline!

Program details

The goals of the CIFellows Project are to retain new Ph.D. scholars in research and teaching during challenging economic times, while also supporting intellectual renewal and diversity in the computing fields at U.S. organizations. A total of 107 Ph.D.s have been supported through the program since 2009. These CIFellows have received outstanding research and teaching enrichment experiences, and several have landed permanent positions (including tenure-track faculty appointments) in academia and industry as a result of their experiences. (For more details, see here and here for previous blog posts about our CIFellows.)

CRA/CCC will make awards for the 2011-12 academic year. The exact number of awards will be contingent upon the quality of applications received as well as the outcome of a proposal for funding that we have submitted.

For prospective applicants

Graduates awarded the Ph.D. or equivalent from U.S. institutions between May 1, 2010, and Aug. 31, 2011, have until 5 p.m. EDT on May 31, 2011, to apply to be a 2011-12 CIFellow. Applications must be submitted online (through the CIFellows Project website).

All applicants must secure and submit written commitments from one to three prospective hosts/mentors at U.S. institutions. Each prospective mentor must be with an organization other than the institution of the applicant’s graduate research, and the CIFellow is expected to be in residence at the mentor’s organization during the CIFellowship period. (You can find possible mentors at a matchmaking website we’ve created.) Applicants must also provide (a) statements describing their research accomplishments and goals for the CIFellowship; (b) a letter from the Ph.D. advisor or department chair affirming their graduation date; and (c) two confidential letters of recommendation that are to be submitted separately by the application deadline.

CRA/CCC will announce the awards by July 15, 2011, and the positions will begin this fall.

For prospective mentors

If you are interested in hosting a 2011-12 CIFellow, please create a profile on the CIFellows Project matchmaking website as soon as possible.  You need only specify your name, location, personal research webpage URL (if you have one), a few keywords describing your research interests, and your e-mail address. We are pointing candidates to this website as a resource for finding mentors.

Those of you who may have already created a profile on this website in past years, please visit the website and review your information as soon as possible. Any updates may be submittedhere. If you have previously created a profile but are no longer able to host a CIFellow, please tell us that through the update form so that we may archive your profile.

More information

For more information, please visit the CIFellows Project website.  Complete details on the submission procedures for applicants and mentors as well as the eligibility requirements can be found there. Again, all application materials must be received by 5 p.m. EDT on May 31, 2011.

(Contributed by Erwin Gianchandani, CCC & CIFellows Project Director, and Frans Kaashoek, Chair of the 2011-12 CIFellows Project Steering Committee)

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CCC Announces Science Policy Institute for Computing Researchers

On April 7, 2011, In Computing Community Consortium (CCC), CRA, Events, People, Policy, By Peter Harsha

So, if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re probably someone who’d be interested in CRA’s most recent effort to increase science policy literacy amongst the computing research community. Today CRA’s Computing Community Consortium is putting out a Call for Nominations for participants in a workshop hosted by the new CCC Leadership in Science Policy Institute. Below is the actual call. If you’re a researcher who is interested in learning more about the ways science policy affects the discipline and the country, or how members of the community can help shape that policy, we want to hear from you! Nominations are being accepted through May 15th. Here are the details:

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS — CCC LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE

As part of its mission to develop a next generation of leaders in the computing research community, CRA’s Computing Community Consortium (CCC) announces the CCC Leadership in Science Policy Institute (LiSPI), intended to educate a small cadre of computing researchers on how science policy in the U.S. is formulated and how our government works. We seek nominations for participants.

LiSPI will be centered around a one-day workshop to be held on Monday, November 7, 2011 in Washington, DC.  (Full details of LiSPI are available at: http://cra.org/ccc/spi)

LiSPI will feature presentations and discussions with science policy experts, current and former Hill staff, and relevant agency and Administration personnel about mechanics of the legislative process, interacting with agencies, advisory committees, and the federal case for computing. (You can see a list of speakers and sessions at http://www.cra.org/ccc/spi_agenda.php )

LiSPI participants are expected to

+ complete a short lesson describing the basic structure and function of government (a sort of “Civics 101” assignment) prior to attending the workshop, so that time spent at the workshop can focus on more advanced content,

+ attend the November 7 workshop, which includes breakfast and lunch, as well as a reception with the speakers and invited guests at the conclusion of the day, and

+ complete a small-group assignment afterwards that puts to use the workshop content on a CCC-inspired problem—perhaps writing an argument in favor of particular initiative for an agency audience, or drafting sample testimony on a CCC topic.

LiSPI is not intended for individuals who wish to undertake research on science policy, become science policy fellows, or take permanent positions in Washington, DC.  Rather, we are trying to reach work-a-day academics who appreciate that our field must be engaged in helping government.

The CCC will provide funds for hotel accommodations for two nights (before and after the workshop), meals, as well as airfare and other travel expenses in connection with attending the November 7 workshop.

ELIGIBILITY AND NOMINATION PROCESS

LiSPI participants are expected to be tenured academics from Computer Science or Information Science departments who are adept at communicating.  They must be nominated by their chair or department head and must have demonstrated an interest in science policy, especially as it relates to computer science (and closely allied fields).

Specifically, the nomination process is as follows:

* A chair or department head proposes a LiSPI candidate by visiting

http://www.cra.org/ccc/spi_nomination.php

and providing the name and institution of the nominee, along with a letter of recommendation.

* The candidate will then be contacted by the CCC and asked to submit a CV, a short essay detailing their interests in science policy, and an indication of whether they would require financial aid to attend.

All nominations and material from nominators and nominees must be received by May 15, 2011.

SELECTION PROCESS

The LiSPI selection committee will evaluate each nomination based on record of accomplishment, proven ability to communicate, and promise. Selections will be announced by June 15,  2011. Funding is available for approximately 15 participants in this initial LiSPI offering.

Please discuss this opportunity with your colleagues, identify those you believe would be interested in participating, and submit nominations!

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Undergrad CS Enrollments Climb for Third Year — CRA Taulbee Survey

On April 6, 2011, In People, By Peter Harsha

Total enrollments among U.S. computer science undergraduates Trends in CS Undergraduate Enrollment - From the CRA Taulbee Surveyincreased 10 percent in 2010, data from the most recent annual CRA Taulbee Survey show. This is the third straight year of increases in total enrollment and indicates that the post “dot-com crash” decline in undergraduate computing program enrollments is over.

The CRA Taulbee Survey is conducted annually by CRA to document trends in student enrollment, degree production, employment of graduates, and faculty salaries in Ph.D-granting departments of computer science (CS), computer engineering (CE) and information (I) in the United States and Canada. CRA today released the enrollment and degree production results (available as a pdf) from the latest edition of the survey.

Overall bachelor’s degree production in computer science, computer engineering and information sciences departments in 2010 rose nearly 11 percent from that in 2009 . Bachelor’s degree production in computer science departments was up more than 9 percent. The increases in new students observed during each of the past two years have resulted in increased degree production, a welcome turnaround from the past several years of declining bachelor’s degree production. Undergraduate CS degree production for 2010 -- CRA Taulbee Survey

Also notable from the survey:

  • Ph.D. production in computing programs held steady in 2009-2010, following a drop in production last year.
  • Among CRA member schools, the share of bachelor’s degrees in CS granted to females rose to 13.8 percent in 2010, an increase of 2.5 percentage points over 2009. The share of bachelor’s degrees in CS granted to minority students held nearly steady at 10.3 percent in 2010.

The full report, which also includes information about faculty size, demographics and salaries, graduate student support and research expenditures, will be available in May 2011 on the CRA web site.

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