Published:  August 2015,  Issue: Vol. 27/No.7, Download as PDF

Archive of articles published in the August 2015, Vol. 27/No.7 issue.

CRA Introduces Revamped Website: Check Out the New CRA.org


If you have visited the CRA website lately, you may have noticed that it’s been refreshed with a new look and feel. We are excited to announce the launch of a new website for CRA and its committees. The new website presents a more consistent visual identity for CRA and provides a seamless experience for a visitor viewing each of the committee sites in addition to CRA.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?


Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Graduate students contemplate leaving their program due to problems in the academic environment and economic stressors, but stay in their program thanks to support from family, friends, and advisors

CCC-Led White Papers on the Science of Autonomy


In May, the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) commissioned members of the research community to generate white papers to help guide strategic thinking in autonomous systems in a number of different domain specific areas, including Aerial Earth Science, Construction, Defense, Disaster Management, Healthcare, Paths Towards Autonomy, Service Robots, and Transportation Systems.

Headshot of Ama Nyame-MensahHeadshot of Ama Nyame-Mensah

Farewell to Ama Nyame-Mensah


Ama Nyame-Mensah, former CERP Research Associate, has left the CRA to pursue a Ph.D. program in social welfare at the University of Pennsylvania. While working at CERP, Ama focused on understanding the benefits of research experiences for undergraduates (REUs) on academic and professional aspirations among students of racial/ethnic minority. Ama also helped streamline the department reporting initiative for the Data Buddies Project. The CRA will miss Ama’s attention to detail, and technical prowess. We wish her well as she continues along her career path.

Khari Douglas joins CRA as program associateKhari Douglas joins CRA as program associate

CRA and CCC Welcome Khari Douglas


In July, CRA welcomed a new staff member to the Computing Community Consortium. As a Program Associate at CRA, Khari Douglas interacts with members of the research community and policy makers to organize meetings, workshops, and outreach activities.

Khari is a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University with majors in International Studies and Economics. Khari is focused on building his professional career and learning more about policy making and the computer science industry.

Tisdale FellowsTisdale Fellows

2015 Class of Eben Tisdale Public Policy Fellows


On July 1, the CRA government affairs office welcomed the 2015 class of Eben Tisdale Public Policy Fellows to CRA headquarters in Washington, D.C. These fellows – undergraduates at universities and colleges from across the United States – spent the summer learning the intricacies of technology policy at high-tech companies, firms, or trade associations in Washington, D.C. In addition, they took two class credits at George Mason University and attended briefings at institutions such as the U.S. Capitol, Department of State, World Bank, and Federal Reserve. At CRA, the fellows attended a presentation by Peter Harsha, Director of Government Affairs, that covered the policy concerns and issues that the association works on and attempts to influence at the federal level.

NSF Co-leads the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI)


President Obama issued an executive order on July 30, 2015 creating a National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) to ensure that the United States continues its leadership in high-performance computing over the coming decades. NSF is proud to serve as one of the three lead agencies for the NSCI, working alongside the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD).