Computing Research Association

CALLING ALL DEPARTMENTAL LEADERS: Did you know that nominations for the CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards are open? 🏅

Recognize your talented mentees and highlight their accomplishments! ✨Up to 4 winners will be selected – each receiving $1.5K of financial support to attend a conference of their choice 💰

Learn more and nominate today: https://cra.org/crae/awards/cra-outstanding-undergraduate-researchers/

In the inaugural edition of the Widening Participation Spotlight, we sat down with Dr. Amanda Holloman, a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, about her experiences as both a mentor to young computing researchers and a former participant in the CRA-WP mentoring program at Grace Hopper.

Read the full article: https://cra.org/crn/2024/08/widening-participation-spotlight-amanda-holloman-university-of-florida/

🚨 Six leading organizations in computing, science, and innovation have come together to urge Congress to fully fund the CHIPS & Science Act. These investments are critical for U.S. leadership in areas like AI, quantum computing, and high-performance computing. 🚀

Read the full letter here: https://cra.org/govaffairs/blog/2024/09/joint-society-statement-fully-fund-chips-act/

Commentary from CRA leaders:

"The nation's leaders need to rise to this challenge. If the U.S. wants to be a world leader in critical technologies, fulfilling the CHIPS and Science Act promises is essential." — Tracy Camp, CRA Executive Director & CEO (Computing Research Association)

"Without these investments, the U.S. risks falling behind as a second-rate scientific power." — Nancy Amato, CRA's Chair of the Board of Directors

We're proud to partner with AAAI - Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, ACM - Association for Computing Machinery, IEEE-USA: The Organization for U.S. IEEE Members, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and USENIX Association in this important call to action.

Washington, D.C. – Today, six of the most prominent organizations in the computing, information technology, science, and innovation sectors — representing more than 400,000 professionals across U.S. industry, academia, and government — jointly urged Congress to fully fund the research agencies outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. In a letter addressed to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the coalition calls on Congress to appropriate critical funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and other key agencies driving technology and innovation....

Six Leading Computing Organizations Call on Congress to Fully Fund the CHIPS and Science Act Washington, D.C. – Today, six of the most prominent organizations in the computing, information technology, science, and innovation sectors — representing more than 400,000 professionals across U.S…

🚨Award Nomination Opportunities!🚨

Do you know a researcher who should be celebrated for their contributions to computing?

ACM is accepting nominations for their 2025 award cycle. All nominations are due December 15, 2024, with the exception of the Doctoral Dissertation Award which is due October 31, 2024.

Learn more about the many awards and nominate today: https://awards.acm.org/award-nominations

ACM recognizes technical and professional achievements within the computing and IT community through its celebrated awards It is often the case that people wonder why a specific person who seems highly deserving has not received an ACM award. The common answer is that the person was never nominated. Please take a moment to consider those individuals in your community who may be suitable for nomination. Candidates for AC...

The UR2PhD Graduate School Application Workshop series starts on Wednesday! This free, virtual series will provide students with a better understanding of graduate school applications, what various components of an application intend to highlight, and how to put together a good application.

Register today: https://cra-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ldumvqjsjHtUIY5BS9mzYtFZ5-CxnZCxJ #/registration

Do you work with an undergraduate who is committed to advancing computing research? Nominate them for the CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards. Winners will receive up to $1,500 of financial support to travel to a conference of their choice!

Nominations close October 15 - learn more and nominate today: https://cra.org/crae/awards/cra-outstanding-undergraduate-researchers/

In August, the Senate Appropriations Committee wrapped up their FY25 funding bills, the last round of which includes the budget for the Department of Defense. Unfortunately, the Senate appropriators recommended lackluster numbers for the defense research accounts, with flat funding or cuts to most accounts.

Learn more about the details of the legislation on the CRA Policy Blog: https://cra.org/govaffairs/blog/2024/09/fy25-senate-def/

🎓 Department Chairs! Departmental sponsorships are now open for the 2025 CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshops! Ensure your students gain access to top-tier mentoring and networking opportunities to boost their academic and professional careers.

🔑 Why Sponsor?

✅ Secure Your Spots Early: Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity to reserve spots for your students before applications open to the public. With limited capacity, early sponsorship ensures your students won’t miss out.

💪 Support Your Students: Provide your students with access to top-tier mentoring and networking opportunities.

🚀 Enhance Their Success: Equip them with the skills and confidence they need to thrive in their graduate studies and beyond.

🌟 Showcase Your Commitment: Your department’s sponsorship will be recognized on our event page and website.

👉 Sponsor your students today: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXnjoHNPuiJuWDYmXV3LJN-H9ytRgVyuhftG_NEcrFHEi_xw/viewform

🚀 We're excited to announce the launch of the LEVEL UP AI initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of the broader EducateAI program, in collaboration with New Mexico State University AAAI - Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence ACM - Association for Computing Machinery, IEEE Computer Society and NSF Broadening Participation in Computing Alliances! This project will develop strategies to expand capacity and accessibility in AI education across the U.S.

Learn more about how we're bringing the community together to shape the future of AI education: https://cra.org/cra-launches-level-up-ai-initiative-to-increase-capacity-and-inclusion-in-ai-education/

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CRA Launches LEVEL UP AI Initiative to Increase Capacity and Inclusion in AI Education Washington, D.C., September 4, 2024 – The Computing Research Association (CRA), in partnership with New Mexico State University (NMSU), is excited to announce the launch of the LEVEL UP AI initiati…

Washington, D.C., September 4, 2024 – The Computing Research Association (CRA), in partnership with New Mexico State University (NMSU), is excited to announce the launch of the LEVEL UP AI initiative. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this groundbreaking project aims to mobilize the computing community to develop a shared vision for increasing capacity and diversity in AI education across the United States....

CRA Launches LEVEL UP AI Initiative to Increase Capacity and Inclusion in AI Education Washington, D.C., September 4, 2024 – The Computing Research Association (CRA), in partnership with New Mexico State University (NMSU), is excited to announce the launch of the LEVEL UP AI initiati…

CRA's Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is thrilled to invite you to apply to participate in our upcoming visioning activities on the Grand Challenges for the Convergence of Computational and Citizen Science Research!

🗓 In-Person Workshop Dates: April 8-9, 2025
📍 Location: Washington, DC

This workshop will unite experts across various fields to explore how humans and technology can collaboratively tackle major scientific challenges through citizen science, crowdsourcing, and community-engaged research. The workshop organizers are also holding virtual discussions on the same topics before and after the in-person workshop (you can express interest in those discussions using the same form as the workshop application).

📅 Apply by: October 4, 2024

Don’t miss out on this chance to shape the future of science and technology! Check out the open call on our website for more details: https://cccblog.org/2024/09/04/call-for-participation-grand-challenges-for-the-convergence-of-computational-and-citizen-science-research/

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Starting an undergraduate research group, especially for a teaching-stream faculty, can feel like a daunting task that requires lots of time, energy, and money. In our Expanding the Pipeline series, Brian Harrington provides some tips and tricks to make the process of building an undergraduate research group easier.

Read the full article: https://cra.org/crn/2024/08/expanding-the-pipeline-hack-your-way-to-an-undergraduate-research-group/

We’re thrilled to see the impactful model of our CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women and Grad Cohort for IDEALS Workshops being expanded globally! 🎉

ACM - Association for Computing Machinery has launched the ACM India Women Grad Cohort events, bringing the same commitment to mentorship, community building, and professional development to women in computing across India. This expansion is a testament to the success and importance of creating supportive spaces for women in tech.

Learn more about ACM India Women Grad Cohort events here: https://event.india.acm.org/gradcohort/home/

Home - event.india.acm.org ACM India Women July 12, 13 | IIT Hyderabad Register now DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! DAYS TO GO..!! About the Event Since 2004, the CRA-WP has been organizing the....

The future of computing depends on our ability to conduct research and innovate across disciplinary boundaries. The CCC's Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Computing Research task force recognized the challenges computing researchers face when engaging in interdisciplinary research and has released a new, one-page guide on best practices for computing researchers.

Read more about the key takeaways in the CRN: https://cra.org/crn/2024/08/ccc-catalyzing-interdisciplinary-computing-research-task-force-releases-new-cra-best-practices-document/

One participant of the CRA conference said “There are (probably) no other opportunities like this to connect with all the leaders in Computer Science and Computing!” - we are thrilled to offer this unique networking opportunity for the computing research community.

We had so much fun at the 2024 CRA Conference at Snowbird. Take a look at some of our favorite photos from the event: 201244842@N03/albums/72177720319571290" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.flickr.com/photos/201244842@N03/albums/72177720319571290

We look forward to seeing you all at the 2026 CRA Summit at Mystic Lake!

🚀 Join the Data Buddies Project! 🚀

Sign your academic department in computing up for the NSF-supported Data Buddies Project by CERP, collecting vital data on the experiences of students and professionals in computing.

By partnering with us, you'll join over 160 academic departments benefiting from exclusive data access, including:

📊 Customized Department Data Reports: Compare your students' responses with similar institutions.
🔍 Key Findings Reports: Digestible summaries of the most interesting insights.
📈 Special Report Requests: Customize reports by different subsets or comparison groups.
📚 Access to DBS Datasets: Request data from 2020 onward, across various student and alumni groups.

Sign up by August 31 to participate in this fall’s survey!

https://cra.org/cerp/data-buddies/volunteer/

Not sure yet? Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. We'd love to connect!

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The National Security Agency has just released a digital copy of a historic 1982 lecture by the legendary Rear Adm. Grace Hopper. In this newly declassified lecture, "Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People," Hopper shares her insightful observations about people and technology, many of which have proven remarkably accurate over time.

Hopper, a true trailblazer in computing, played a pivotal role in the development of COBOL and was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer. Her vision and leadership continue to inspire generations.

Check out the full lecture here:

NSA releases copy of internal lecture delivered by computing giant Rear Adm. Grace Hopper FORT MEADE, Md. — In one of the more unique public proactive transparency record releases for the National Security Agency (NSA) to date, NSA has released a digital copy of a lecture that then-Capt.

We’re still buzzing with joy from the 2024 CRA Conference at Snowbird. This year’s conference saw a significant increase in industry participation, fostering stronger collaborations between academia and industry. CRA-I was pleased to host special networking events in addition to the Industry parallel track.

Check out the full article to explore the key takeaways: https://cra.org/crn/2024/08/industrys-growing-presence-at-the-cra-conference-at-snowbird/

The new Department of Justice ADA Title II rule on digital accessibility presents a real challenge to public universities and colleges. At the same time, it presents opportunities to improve the computer science curriculum by having more emphasis on accessibility. Additionally, it creates new research problems in automating or semi-automating the development of accessible websites and mobile apps, and the automatic remediation of inaccessible electronic documents.

Read the full article: https://cra.org/crn/2024/08/new-ada-title-ii-rule-on-accessibility-impacts-computing-departments/

The CERP team compared institutional characteristics of Data Buddies departments to the overall population of institutions that award computing degrees to assess the institutional representativeness of the DBS sample. Community colleges, master’s degree granting institutions, and HSIs are underrepresented while doctoral degree granting institutions are overrepresented in the DBS sample.

Read more in the August edition of the Computing Research News: https://cra.org/crn/2024/08/how-representative-are-data-buddies-departments-compared-to-computing-departments-overall/

🚨PRIORITY DEADLINE APPROACHING 🚨

Undergraduate researchers: UR2PhD is accepting applications for the fall undergraduate research methods course. Build your skills as a researcher and expand your project knowledge while building your peer network!

The priority application deadline is THIS FRIDAY, August 23! Learn more and apply at cra.org/ur2phd

Hot off the press! Check out the August edition of the Computing Research News, featuring photos from the 2024 CRA Conference at Snowbird, highlights from the July CRA Board meeting, opportunities to sponsor students for the 2025 CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshops, and so much more.

Read it all: cra.org/crn

Curious about computing research but still trying to figure out where to start? Join us for the UR2PhD Computing Research Engagement and Awareness Workshop Series, starting Monday, August 19! This monthly workshop series is designed specifically to help students learn more about research, research careers, and research pathways. Start your computing research journey with UR2PhD!

The workshop series is open to undergraduate researchers of all levels. No research experience is required to participate.

Register for the workshop: https://cra-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtcuCrrDwjG9wxxgbY_ca2QEGwbuYIrlMv #/registration

CRA congratulates Dr. Chad Jenkins of the University of Michigan on receiving the 2024 Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award! 🏆 This well-deserved recognition celebrates his outstanding contributions to research and inclusivity in computing.

We are proud to have Chad as one of our most engaged community volunteers. He serves on the CRA-WP Board of Directors, is the Program Chair for the CRA Skip Ellis Early Career Award, and recently completed his term as a CCC Council Member. Chad has also been a key contributor to our Government Affairs activities, such as taking part in the recent Senate Robotics Showcase & Demo Day and the Deconstructing Artificial Intelligence Congressional briefing.

Congratulations, Chad! 🎉👏

https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/colleges-and-universities-5fa5adbf84de4ef569755a99dac52c73

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In our continuing review of the FY25 budget process, we’re looking at the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water bill. The Senate is proposing a generous increase for DOE’s Office of Science and ASCR program, which is in line with the Biden Administration’s budget proposal, and continues to emphasize the agency’s work in AI, QIS, and HPC.

Learn more and read our full analysis on the CRA Policy Blog: https://cra.org/govaffairs/blog/2024/08/fy25-senate-ew/

🚨Calling all undergraduate researchers! 🚨

UR2PhD is accepting applications for their fall undergraduate research methods course. Build your skills as a researcher and expand your project knowledge while building your peer network!

The priority application deadline is August 23! Learn more and apply at cra.org/ur2phd

Continuing to review the FY25 budget, we turn to the Senate’s Commerce, Justice, Science bill, which contains the budgets for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration The Senate appropriators are proposing general increases for the agencies and expanding available funds for Chips & Science Act implementation.

Learn more on the CRA Policy Blog: https://cra.org/govaffairs/blog/2024/08/fy25-senate-cjs/

We're thrilled to invite academic departments of computing to join the Data Buddies Project, a key initiative led by the Computing Research Association's Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP), with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

By participating in the Data Buddies Survey (DBS), your institution can play a pivotal role in gathering valuable data on student experiences in computing. This project focuses on critical areas such as student retention, matriculation into graduate programs, and broadening participation in computing.

🔍 Why Join?

Customized Insights: Receive a tailored report comparing your students' experiences to those at similar institutions.
Minimal Commitment: It's free to participate and requires only one staff member to act as a liaison.
Support DEI in Computing: Contribute to data-driven best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.

If you're interested in being part of this impactful project for the fall semester, please sign up by August 31.

Let's work together to broaden participation in computing! 🤝

https://cra.org/cerp/data-buddies/volunteer/

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) is hiring! The Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is looking for a Program Director whose expertise would cover topics within Education and Workforce Development (EWF) in computing-related fields.

This rotator role has the opportunity to collaborate closely with CRA’s Education and Widening Participation committees, as well as the Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP)!

Learn more and apply today:

Computer Scientist (Program Director) The responsibilities of the positions will be in support of CISE education programs (Education and Workforce Development) and would also include support for other NSF-wide programs involving computing R&D components. The range of EWF activities are described at https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunit...