Communications - August 2008

ing have either substantial or preponderant computer science content:

˲ Secure cyberspace

˲ Enhance virtual reality

˲ Advance health information systems

˲ Advance personalized learning

˲ Engineer better medicines

˲ Engineer the tools of scientific discovery

˲ Reverse-engineer the brain

˲ Prevent nuclear terror (to a great extent a sensor network and data mining problem)

These are, in every way, visions that can shape the intellectual future of our field, catalyze research investment and public support, and attract the best and brightest minds of a new generation. And there are many more such visions:

˲ Create the future of networking

˲ Empower the developing world through appropriate information technology

˲ Design automobiles that don’t crash

SOURCE: NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. ASSESSMEn T OF DEPAR TMEn T OF DEFEnSE BASIC RESEARCH. THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS, WASHINGTON, D.C., 2005.

˲ Build truly scalable computing systems

˲ Engineer advanced “robotic prosthetics” —the field of Neurobotics

˲ Instrument your body as thoroughly as your automobile

˲ Engineer biology (synthetic biology)

˲ Achieve quantum computing

It is very difficult to imagine a field with greater opportunity to change the world.

the Role of the computing
community consortium

The role of the Computing Community Consortium is to help our field “put the meat on the bones” of visions such as these. For each of these visions—and for others—we must work together to build a research community, lay out a research roadmap, and acquire momentum.

One way in which CCC is doing this is to sponsor a series of workshops on various topics: thus far, “big data computing,” “cyber-physical systems,” visions for theoretical computer science, the future of robotics, and network science and engineering. CCC is actively soliciting proposals for additional workshops from members of the research community.