Community Leadership to
Support Computer Science
Research
US-China Computer Science Summit II
Bryant W. York
July 11, 2008
Charge to the Panel
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We would like to ask you to address the ways in which
interests of the community shape the research agenda in
computer science.
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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?
How do top-down and bottom-up interests
shape the computing research agenda?
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Top-Down
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Administration Hot Buttons
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Research and the National Needs (RANN)
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Broad Initiatives (ITR, CyberTrust, GENI, …)
Human Capital Development
America Competes (ACI)
PITAC, PCAST
Bottom-UP
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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
Is funding emphasis the primary research
driver?
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Young researchers must chase the dollars
Incremental research dominates novel
Risks and rewards
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Panelists/reviewers
Program officers
Congresspersons
“The nature of research is failure”
Peter Lucas, IBM Research, 1979
Other Issues
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What is the role of practical applications?
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Global Climate Change
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Worldwide Food Shortages
Health and Disease Control
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Obesity
HIV/AIDS
Recovery from Natural Disasters
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org
Can industry influence the direction of research in universities?
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Air Quality
Water Quality
Of course
What factors influence the choice of research topics, especially factors that
originate in the larger society in which we live and work?
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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
What is the role of US-China collaborations in
shaping the research agenda for computer science?
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Demonstrate the tangible results of fruitful research
collaborations to the appropriate bodies:
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Stimulate policy debate based on sound scientific
conclusions
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NSF, NRC/CSTB, U.S. Congress
CAS, NNSFC, Beijing Central Government
Develop factual, scientific arguments that meld the policy
objectives of both sides
Press for shared research infrastructure
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GLORIAD, …
How do we cultivate the next generation of
computing research leaders?
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Identify leaders at all career levels
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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
Three Ideas
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Create a venue for the annual celebration of
International Collaborative IT Research.
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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.
Just as world leaders have come in all ages, genders, shapes, sizes,
colors, ethnicities, philosophical, political, religious persuasions, and
personalities
Embrace Diversity!
计算机认为
Ji suan ji ren wei
Computational Thinking
在丽江,纳西人告诉老外关于生命的秘密
Zai Lijiang ,Naxi ren gaosu laowai sheng ming de mimi
In Lijiang, a Naxi person tells a foreigner the secret of life
Some Relevant Quotes
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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
Some Relevant Quotes
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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 softminded 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
References
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China Inc., Ted Fishman, Scribner, New York, 2005
The Quintessential Questions of Computer Science, Al Aho
http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~aho/Talks/07-11-14_Columbia.pdf
NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/
Google Lunar XPrize
http://www.google.com/space/
iPlant Collaborative, U. Arizona
http://www.cs.arizona.edu/news/articles/200801-iplant.html