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COMPUTER & INFORMATION
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING |
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A Message from CISE Leadership
As 2020 comes to a close, we in CISE are happy to announce several exciting updates and opportunities.
First, we are excited to announce the appointment of Joydip (JD) Kundu as the NSF Acting Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) for CISE, while our current DAD, Erwin Gianchandani, takes on a new challenge as part of a temporary detail to the Office of the Director. There, Erwin is working with the NSF Director, helping to lead a Foundation-wide effort on translation, innovation, and partnerships. Congratulations JD and Erwin!
In November, CISE launched the CISE Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Program. Recognizing the inclusive excellence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal College & Universities (TCUs) in fostering innovation and cultivating current and future science and engineering talent, the CISE-MSI program aims to expand the support of MSIs across CISE research programs. Researchers from MSIs are invited to submit proposals that align with a range of CISE programs to three specific Threads. Specifically, Thread 1 proposals, Research Capacity-Building Planning Projects, will be focused on capacity building and research planning; and Thread 2 and Thread 3 proposals, Demonstration Projects and Research Partnerships Enhancement Projects, respectively, will focus on building integrated and sustained partnerships within a single MSI or across multiple MSIs, or with other research-intensive organizations. Additionally, proposals may request cloud computing resources to use a range of public clouds in order to build research capacity and infrastructure at their institutions. CISE is hosting a series of workshops in parallel with the solicitation release to facilitate faculty proposal preparation for each of the three Threads. In addition, CISE is running a series of virtual webinars to help communicate to the broader MSI community about this program.
CISE continues to build upon our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, we launched Project OVERCOME (cOnnectiVity for undERserved COMmunitiEs) managed by US Ignite, Inc. The nearly $2M investment will support the selection and implementation of five projects to deploy broadband and technology solutions to underserved communities. With advice from NSF program officers, US Ignite and technology experts will select the winners for Project OVERCOME by early spring 2021 and will rapidly transition to an early implementation phase. You can read more about Project OVERCOME in this month’s Division Spotlight section below.
We are also delighted to see the CISE community recognized for a number of seminal contributions. The special ACM Gordon Bell Special Prize for High Performance Computing-Based COVID-19 Research was awarded to an international team of researchers for their work on detailed atomic-level modeling of spike protein dynamics in the SARS-CoV2 virus, which made use of CISE-funded computational resources offered through the COVID-19 HPC Consortium. CISE is thrilled to have supported this Consortium, as well as many of these researchers through their careers. In addition, the 2020 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to CISE-funded researchers, Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson, for their research in game theory and invention of new auction formats for multiple, simultaneous transactions. This work has led to innovations enabling wireless communication of audio, video, and data that have brought in more than $60 billion for taxpayers.
Finally, this year marks the 35th anniversary of the National Science Foundation Network, or NSFNet, the precursor to the modern Internet. The development of NSFNET is a story of American innovation and discovery which underscores the importance of federal investments in fundamental research. Especially today, the Internet is integral to our health, prosperity, way of life and livelihood. Internet2, the Internet Society, and CISE will hold a special event to celebrate the milestone of this important innovation on Tuesday, December 8th. CISE Assistant Director, Margaret Martonosi will provide remarks, among other esteemed guests. Registration details to attend can be found in the Events section below.
As we close the year, we know this has been a most unusual and challenging year for all of us – and we want to especially thank you for all your great work, which has only further demonstrated just how central CISE research, and research cyberinfrastructure, is to every facet of our society. We wish you a safe, restful holiday season and hope for good fortunes in the new year.
 Margaret Martonosi
NSF Assistant Director for CISE
Joydip Kundu
Acting Deputy Assistant Director for CISE
 Erwin Gianchandani
Senior Advisor, Office of the Director
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Changes in the structure of chromatin hold new answers
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Prototype used machine learning to classify sounds in real time
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Integrating machine-learning technology with high-resolution imaging helps identify plant species
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Robot as tiny as a few human hairs can travel throughout a colon
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Get more CISE News
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Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS)
CNS invents new computing and networking technologies, while ensuring their security and privacy, and finds new ways to make use of current technologies.
CNS is proud to support Project OVERCOME’s objective to expand broadband internet access across the United States.
The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the necessity to deliver broadband to every resident of the United States. While many functions of everyday life now take place online, nearly 17 million U.S. residents still lack the Internet access required for remote work, online learning, and telemedicine. Project OVERCOME (cOnnectiVity for undERserved COMmunitiEs), managed by US Ignite, Inc., intends to remedy this issue by selecting, launching, and overseeing five projects to deploy broadband and technology solutions to underserved communities. All data collected as a result of Project Overcome will be made publicly available in a timely manner in the hopes that it may be repeated on a larger scale in the near future.
Read more about Project OVERCOME here.
To get the latest on what’s happening in CNS and learn about announcements, opportunities, upcoming deadlines and more, visit our division page.
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Image Credit: Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock
The University of California at San Diego is developing a vital tool to be used by firefighters combating the country’s seasonal wildfires. The WIFIRE Firemap is a real-time interface that simulates and projects how quickly a real wildfire might spread and what structures or people might be affected. Emergency dispatchers input live data into WIFIRE, such as temperature and wind speed and direction, in order to gather all critical wildfire information into a single place accessible to the both first responders and the public. This technology is made possible by a cyber-infrastructure that connects real-time weather information, infrared images from fire planes, and satellite maps of terrain and brush to predict how a fire may evolve over time. WIFIRE also learns from past inaccuracies and rapidly adapts its ability to predict fires with each bit of new data in real time.
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Researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) are integrating computer science and psychology frameworks to more effectively identify and prevent cyberbullying. To do this, ASU researches are combining machine learning models for cyberbullying identification with the development of evidence-based apps for addressing cyberbullying. The results of this project will be shared via educational resources addressed to both policymakers and the general public.
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Image Credit: LexingtonKY.gov
The University of Kentucky Research Foundation (UKRF) aims to alleviate the costs of developing American smart cities. To accomplish their goal, UKRF proposes the use of delay tolerant networks (DTNs) as a foundation for smart city communication. UKRF researchers seek to investigate advancements in edge-computing while optimizing the placement of internet-connected nodes in the network to increase DTN data delivery speed. The project will use the natural movement of people and vehicles through a city to transfer data between network nodes, thereby integrating a city’s citizens into the smart city network itself. UKRF defines a successful smart city design as one that is sensitive to concerns regarding data privacy as well as how data will be used to improve the quality of life within a given city.
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Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC)
OAC supports and coordinates the development, acquisition and provision of state-of-the-art cyberinfrastructure resources, tools and services essential to the advancement and transformation of Science and engineering.
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