Published: January 2005,  Issue: Vol. 17/No.1, Download as PDF

Archive of articles published in the January 2005, Vol. 17/No.1 issue.

Ladner Recognized with Presidential Award


On May 16, 2005, Richard Ladner, Boeing Professor of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) at the University of Washington, was one of nine individuals to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) at a White House ceremony. Ladner, who is well known for his work in computer science theory, was recognized for his long-time support of women and people with disabilities in computer science.

NSF Budget Takes Hit in Final Appropriations Bill


Putting an end to a year-long budget debate that began with the President’s proposal for an “austere” federal budget and ended with funding levels below the President’s requests for many non-defense agencies, Congress approved a final appropriations bill for the 2005 fiscal year that included a boost in funding for the President’s Space Exploration initiative, but a reduction in funding at the National Science Foundation.

Common Ground: A Diverse CS Community Benefits All of Us


The fact that women, minorities, and persons with disabilities remain significantly underrepresented in CISE-related disciplines diminishes us all in our research and education activities, to say nothing of our personal lives. NSF and CISE have long worked to change this situation, but we believe new and strengthened efforts are essential and we are now focusing our attention on doing that.

Help Support the Distributed Mentor Project


As we are all aware, the percentage of women in computer science and computing engineering is declining. Often faculty shrug off this disparity as lack of aptitude by women students. Computer science, however, is the only scientific discipline that is not increasing the percentage of women students. Mathematics, for example, has almost reached parity at the undergraduate level. With overall declining enrollments, we need to reach out to make computing and computing research an attractive discipline to be pursued by the brightest students. This is everyone’s responsibility.

CRA Issues New Report


The Computing Research Association has recently published a new report, Using History to Teach Computer Science and Related Disciplines. This report, compiled by historians William Aspray and Atsushi Akera, offers innovative ideas on how to use the rich, empirical material of history to enhance student learning and appreciation for fundamental concepts in computer science and related disciplines.