CRA Directors Erik Russell and Burçin Tamer featured on the Modern Figures Podcast
CRA Directors Erik Russell and Burçin Tamer share inspiring stories of CRA broadening computing efforts on the Modern Figures Podcast.
Register for This Year’s Final Departmental BPC Plan Working Session: November 18
BPCnet.org will be hosting its last working session for this year on Thursday, November 18th, 2021, from 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM ET.
Best Practices on Using the Cloud for Computing Research
In September 2021, CRA-I held its second roundtable focused on Best Practices on using the Cloud for Computing Research.
CRA’s CV Database Initiative Turns Three
The CRA CV Database is now open for applications for the 2021-22 recruiting season. It can be accessed through https://cra.org/cra/cv-database/. Candidates will be able to upload their resumes, research and teaching statements, job objectives and other preferences, and a link to a short presentation video. Recruiters will be able to search this information and are encouraged to contact candidates starting mid-November.
Taulbee, Talent, and Trends: CRA Session at Upcoming DOE ASCAC Meeting
CRA will be represented during the upcoming DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC) meeting. Attend CRA session “Taulbee, Talent, and Trends” from 1:00-1:45 PM ET on September 30, 2021.
2020 Taulbee Survey: Bachelor’s and Doctoral Degree Production Growth Continues but New Student Enrollment Shows Declines
This article and the accompanying figures and tables present the results from the 50th annual CRA Taulbee Survey, which documents 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, computer engineering, or information.
Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Today, May 20, 2021, marks the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access/inclusion and people with different disabilities. In honor of GAAD, we’re sharing resources to learn more about accessibility in higher education.
Pandemic Informatics: Variants of Concern (VOC)
We are pleased to announce the second addendum to the Computing Research Association (CRA) and Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Pandemic Informatics: Preparation, Robustness, and Resilience quadrennial paper on variants of concern (VOC).
Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: Racial Equity in STEM Education (EHR Racial Equity)
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) is soliciting proposals for projects addressing systemic racism in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development through research and practice. Those who have been impacted by the inequities caused by system racism should be the primary focus for all proposals. Competitive proposals will be clear with respect to how the work will advance racial equity and address system racism.
Submit Requests for Supplemental Funding to the NSF CISE BPC Program
PIs with active medium and large CISE Core programs awards are invited to submit supplemental funding requests to engage more members of the CISE research community in significant BPC efforts as part of their project’s BPC plan. Supplemental funding requests should be submitted by the BPC deadline (June 14).
Pandemic Informatics: Vaccine Distribution, Logistics, and Prioritization
In Fall 2020, the Computing Research Association released a series of planned white papers produced through its subcommittees (including the Computing Community Consortium), exploring areas and issues around computing research with the potential to address national priorities over the next four years. Called Quadrennial Papers, the white papers attempt to portray a broad picture of computing research detailing potential research directions, challenges, and recommendations for policymakers and the computing research community.
One of those white papers Pandemic Informatics: Preparation, Robustness, and Resilience outlined a strategy to reduce the impact of global pandemics stressing early detection, predicting the public’s reaction and developing effective policies.
Several months later, the pandemic is still ongoing but we are facing a new and different set of challenges that are both surprising and yet also somehow predictable. The authors of the paper have produced a March 22nd, 2021 Addendum to address current issues.
See the March 22nd, 2021 Pandemic Informatics: Preparation, Robustness, and Resilience Addendum here for more details.
Introducing the CERP Bulletin
The CRA Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP) is excited to launch a new blog called the CERP Bulletin to share news, research and evaluation findings, promote resources and community platforms, and provide helpful context to CERP’s mission. The CERP Bulletin will include CERP research activity, infographics, evaluation reports, and interesting CERP-related articles.
We encourage you to stay updated on CERP through the Bulletin by signing up for our mailing list, which you can do here.
This post is brought to you by the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). CERP provides social science research and comparative evaluation for the computing community. Volunteer for Data Buddies by signing-up here.
Cloud Access for NSF CISE Research
An increasing number of NSF CISE solicitations, including the CISE Core Programs (for which SMALL Projects do not have a submission deadline), are eligible for cloud access via the CloudBank portal to the AWS, Azure, GCP, and IBM clouds.
Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: CMD-IT Standing Against Racial Injustices Video Now Available
A video recording of the “Standing Against Racial Injustices” conversation series organized by the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT) is now available. If you missed the event, we encourage you watch and share!
2021 Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant Accepting Proposals
We are currently accepting proposals for the 2021 Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant through March 22, 2021.
CRA-E Releases Report on Best Practices for Scaling Undergraduate CS Research Opportunities
Undergraduate enrollments in CS have grown considerably and continue to grow. Yet opportunities for undergraduates to engage in CS research have not grown proportionally. Engaging undergraduates in research has tremendous benefits for students, and is critical to the health of the North American CS PhD pipeline.
The CRA’s Education committee has released a new report documenting best practices and concrete suggestions for departments wishing to expand undergraduate research opportunities in CS (without overwhelming their faculty!). The report is based on a broad examination of existing structured research programs at universities across North America. It compiles the main challenges departments face in implementing undergraduate research programs, and provides best practices for addressing these challenges.
Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: NCWIT Conversations for Change Webinar Tomorrow
Numerous events of 2020 have placed a national spotlight on the inequities and inequalities that are present in K-16 education and society at large. In this conversation, Dr. Nicki Washington discusses how her personal journey in computing influenced her research on identity in computing, including the development of her “Race, Gender, Class, and Computing” course and why “teaching is political.”
Call for Submissions: Departmental BPC Plans
The Computing Research Association (CRA) and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) are calling upon the academic community to create and submit Departmental BPC Plans to BPCnet.org.
Departmental BPC Plans are important because they help departments:
- reaffirm their commitment to equity and inclusion,
- identify and organize their BPC related goals and activities,
- and support PIs in their department who are submitting CISE proposals requiring a Project BPC Plan at the time of award.
CERP Announces Webinar for Data Buddies Survey
The CRA Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP) recently published a webinar featuring the Data Buddies Survey (DBS). This webinar details some of the background of the Data Buddies Survey, tips for good response rates, benefits for participating departments, and requirements for participating departments. This webinar is designed for a broad audience, including prospective DBS participants. You can view the webinar by clicking here.
Cultural Competence in Computing (3C) Fellows Program Now Accepting Applications
Undergraduate computing departments have long suffered from issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). However, there has been, to date, no large-scale effort that focuses on addressing issues of systemic racism and bias that directly impact not only students from minoritized groups, but also faculty (as issues of race, gender, and intersectionality impact hiring, […]
CRA Committee on Industry/Academia Interactions Releases Report
Recent trends such as increasing industry demands for technical talent from academia, as well as changes in the academic environment with increased industry interactions have prompted the need for a fresh look at the relationships between academia and industry. A CRA ad hoc committee on Industry/Academia Interactions was studied these trends and determined how CRA can have an impact.
Reports on Surveys of Computer Science Faculty and Academic Units/Chairs: COVID-19 Impact
CRA conducted two surveys about the COVID-19 disruption in summer 2020. CRA Director of Statistics and Evaluation Betsy Bizot recently presented these results at the ACM Education Advisory Committee Meeting.
Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: Join CMD-IT for Standing Against Racial Injustices – Sharing Our Stories
Join the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT) this Friday, August 7 (1:30 – 2:30 pm CT) for a panel discussion examining racial injustice from the perspective of Black professionals in computing. Panelists will provide their stories of overcoming racial injustices to get to where they are today. They will also share advice and insights about systemic changes needed for equity and inclusion. Register here.
Amplifying Resources for Inclusiveness in Computing: Black in Computing Open Letter
CRA is dedicated to creating an environment that is more welcoming, just, and equitable to all. Last month, the Black in Computing group and Allies put out “An Open Letter & Call to Action to the Computing Community” with a curated list of actionable items.
Request for Community Feedback on BPCnet.org
With this particularly challenging academic year coming to an end, and the upcoming NSF CISE program submissions, it is a good time to update everyone on the NSF CISE Pilot Program for Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) Plans. All Medium and Large CISE Core Programs, Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC), and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) project proposals require an approved BPC Plan by the time of award. CRA and NCWIT have led an effort to develop the BPCnet.org portal as a resource for the community to assist in developing Departmental BPC Plans and Individual BPC Plans.
2019 Taulbee Survey: Total Undergrad CS Enrollment Rises Again, but with Fewer New Majors; Doctoral Degree Production Recovers from Last Year’s Dip
After twelve years of sustained growth in undergraduate enrollment, there may be signs of a slowdown in that there are, on average, fewer new undergraduate majors in 2019-20 than there were in 2018-19. Nevertheless, the average number of CS majors continued its rise in 2018-19, both in U.S. CS departments and overall.
2019 Taulbee Report Sneak Preview
In advance of the 2019 CRA Taulbee Report, which will be published in the May 2020 issue of CRN next week, we’d like to share a preview of the degree, enrollment, faculty and diversity numbers for bachelor’s and doctoral level programs in the departments responding to the survey.
2019 Computer Science Tenure-Track Faculty Hiring Outcomes
This work directly follows previous work that analyzed current and future Computer Science needs via advertised tenure-track faculty searches for 2019. This follow-on work looked to understand the relative success of institutions in hiring the tenured/tenure-track faculty in the areas of Computer Science that were being sought.
CRA’s CV Database Initiative Turns One
As a first step to address recent recruiting challenges in the computing research community, the Computing Research Association (CRA) launched the CV Database initiative in Fall 2018. This initiative provides a database of candidates for academic and industrial/government laboratory research positions. Recruiting continues to be one of the top computing research community challenges. Thus, CRA plans to strengthen the CV Database initiative and take additional actions in 2019-20. The CRA has reviewed usage data from the first year application cycle and made adjustments to improve the user experience and process. The CV Database will re-open for the 2019-20 recruiting season in mid-September 2019. In mid-October 2019, recruiter access to the CV Database will be made available to all CRA academic members. Additionally, industrial and government laboratory CRA member institutions that sponsor Grad Cohort 2020 at the silver level and above will receive access.
Generation CS, Three Years Later
In 2017, CRA published the Generation CS report on the surge in undergraduate computer science enrollments, based on data gathered through an Enrollments Survey of doctoral and non-doctoral academic units of computer science in fall 2015.Since then, enrollments have continued to grow. In fall 2018, as part of the Taulbee Survey of doctoral departments, CRA included some questions to assess the current impact. Are academic units still struggling, or has the increase become the new normal? What changes have occurred in department resources or policies? What is the observed impact on students and faculty, including student diversity?
