Published: February 2019, Issue: Vol. 31/No.2, Download as PDF
Archive of articles published in the February 2019, Vol. 31/No.2 issue.
Recently, The New York Times featured an article “The Hard Part of Computer Science? Getting Into Class.” The story explores how the increasing student demand for computer science courses is outstripping the supply of professors. The article cites CRA Taulbee Survey data and quotes several current and former CRA board members.
CRA is pleased to announce the 2019 Election Committee’s slate of nominees for the CRA Board. Ballots have been distributed to all CRA department chairs and lab directors. Each will have one vote for each open slot on the board. Completed ballots are due February 27.
These outstanding individuals are being recognized for providing exceptional mentorship, undergraduate research experiences, and, in parallel, guidance on admission and matriculation of their students to research-focused graduate programs in computing.
The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) has launched the “Catalyzing Computing” podcast, which will focus on topics of interests within the computing research community. The podcast is hosted by CCC Program Associate Khari Douglas and will feature interviews with researchers and policy makers about their background and experiences in the computing community. You can stream or download the podcast on Soundcloud now.
The CCC responded to the RFI on behalf of the community. An overarching theme of the CCC response is that systems are now ubiquitous, and need to be considered as socio-technical systems that must be secured, not simply technical systems.
A NSF workshop report on the Interdisciplinary Research Challenges in Computer Systems has been released.
According to the 2017 Data Buddies Survey, significantly higher percentages of students who are underrepresented in computing (29% and above) felt like an outsider in computing than majority men with no disabilities (17%). This lack of a sense of belonging was highest among the students with disabilities who are women or racial/ethnic minorities (45-46%).
Convention tells us that research involves a selection of topic, literature review, framework development, refining/defining your research question, developing a design, collecting data, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions, but at a community college the formality cannot always be used as a rule, but as a guideline for developing a realistic, learning opportunity. Community college participation in undergraduate research is an important part of education, but can easily fall by the wayside to address life challenges often faced by community college students. However, given the opportunity to participate, research can be a rewarding and valuable skill that should be afforded to more students.
Find out what participants thought about the 2018 CRA-W Grad Cohort for Women in this recently released video. In testimonials collected at the end of the workshop, a resounding theme was the participants’ renewed motivation to complete their Ph.D.
Recently, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) elected 86 new members and 18 foreign members. Former CRA Board Member Margo Seltzer was among those elected. Individuals in the newly elected class will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the NAE’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6, 2019.
The National Science Foundation is initiating a national search for the Assistant Director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).
