A CS&Eer’s View of theNational Science Foundation

Douglas H. FisherProgram Director

National Science Foundation (NSF)Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE)

Division of Information & Intelligent Systems (IIS)Robust Intelligence Program (RI)

Presentation to the Korean Computer Scientists and Engineers Association (KOCSEA)

Technical SymposiumSaturday, October 25, 2008

NSF

NSFDirector

National Science Board

Office of Inspector General

Directorate forBiological Sciences

Directorate forComputer & Information

Science & Engineering

Presidentof the

United States

Directorate forEducation and Human Resources

Directorate forEngineering

Directorate forGeosciences

Directorate forMathematical and Physical Sciences

Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences

Office of Cyberinfrastructure

Office ofInternational Science and Engineering

Office ofPolar Programs

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Organization of NSF

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CISE Directorate

Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF): . . . seeks advances in computing and communication theory, algorithms for computer and computational sciences, and architecture and design of computers and software. Algorithmic Foundations (AF) Communications and Information Foundations (CIF) Software and Hardware Foundations (SHF)

Computer and Network Systems (CNS): . . . seeks to develop a better understanding of the fundamental properties of computer and network systems and to create better abstractions and tools for designing, building, analyzing, and measuring future systems. Computer Systems Computing Research Infrastructure Education and Workforce Network Systems

Information & Intelligent Systems (IIS): … supports … activities that 1) develop new knowledge about the role of people in the design and use of information technology; 2) increase our capability to create, manage, and understand data and information in circumstances ranging from personal computers to globally- distributed systems; and 3) advance our understanding of how computational systems can exhibit the hallmarks of intelligence. Human-Centered Computing Information Integration and Informatics Robust Intelligence

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Douglas H. Fisher

• CISE Core Programs (Coordinated solicitations: Medium: Oct2008; Large: Nov; Small: Dec)

• Expeditions in Computing (CISE) – September pre-proposals

• Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI, NSF-wide) (Nov-Dec preliminary proposal window – see solicitation)

• Data-Intensive Computing (CISE) (Medium: Oct2008; Large: Nov; Small: Dec)

• Cyber-Physical Systems (CISE and ENG) (Feb, 2009)

• Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) (CISE, BIO, SBE, MPS) + NIH (Oct 30, 2008)

• CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPATH) (CISE)

• Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) (CISE) (May, 2009)

• High Performance Computing System Acquisition: Towards a Petascale Computing Environment for Science and Engineering (OCI, Nov. 28, 2008)

Others: TeraGrid Phase III (OCI, November 4, 2008); Creative IT (CISE, SBE); Computing Research Infrastructure (CISE); Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-wide); High End Computing University Research Activity (HECURA) (CISE); Science and Technology Centers (NSF-wide); Network Science and Engineering (NetSE) (CISE), Trustworthy Computing (CISE), Advanced Learning Technologies (ALT) (CISE, EHR); DataNet (CISE, OCI)

Douglas H. Fisher

Selected Programs

Expeditions in Computing

• Bold, creative, visionary, high-risk ideas

• Whole >> ∑ part I

• Solicitation is deliberately under constrained

– Tell us what YOU want to do! – Response to community

• Loss of ITR Large, DARPA changes, support for high-riskresearch, large experimental systems research, etc.

• FY08: 4 awards, each at about $10M for 5 years

– 122 LOI, 75 prelim, 20 final, 7 reverse site visits

Adapted from Jeannette Wing’s Snowbird 2008 presentation (http://www.cra.org/Activities/snowbird/2008/slides/Wing_Snowbird08.pdf)

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http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112075&org=NSF&from=news

Expeditions FY 2008 Awards

• Computational Sustainability: Computational Methods for a Sustainable Environment, Economy and Society Lead PI: Carla Gomes, Cornell University

• Understanding, Coping with and Benefiting from Intractability Lead PI: Sanjeev Arora, Princeton University

• The Molecular Programming Project Lead PI: Erik Winfree, California Institute of Technology

• Open Programmable Mobile Internet 2020 Lead PI: Nick McKeown, Stanford University

Douglas H. Fisher

Computational Sustainability:Computational Methods for a Sustainable

Environment, Economy, and SocietyLead PI: Carla Gomes, Cornell University

Sustainability: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Our Common Future, Brundtland Report,1987

Vision: Computer scientists can — and should —play a key role in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the way we manage and allocate our natural resources,

while enriching and transforming Computer Science.

Bowdoin

Expeditions in

Computing(CISE)

Data & Machine

Learning

Balancing Environmental &Socioeconomic Needs

Conservation and B

iodiversity

Dynamical Models

Constraint Reasoning

& Optimization

Resource Economics,Environmental

Sciences & Engr.

Transformative Synthesis

Goals for Computational Studies

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Goals for Sustainability

To inject computationalthinking into Sustainability,

• establishing computationalsustainability as a new field

• bringing new insights to sustainability challenges

• preparing a new generation to grapple with long-term sustainability

• to motivate transformativesynthesis and new methodologies across computing sub-disciplines

• to broaden participation in the computing sciences and engineering, in part by

• broadening the public image of computing science, as a field of great societal importance

Establishing a vibrant research community inComputational Sustainability, operating under principles of inclusiveness, extending its influence and resources far beyond its members

The Institute for Computational Sustainability

(ICS)

CDI: Cyber-Enabled Discovery and InnovationComputational Thinking for Science and Engineeringhttp://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503163&from=fund

• Paradigm shift

– Not just our metal tools (transistors and wires) but also our mental tools (abstractions and methods)

• Three Themes

– From Data to Knowledge: enhancing human cognition and generating new knowledge from a wealth of heterogeneous digital data;

– Understanding Complexity in Natural, Built, and Social Systems: deriving fundamental insights on systems comprising multiple interacting elements;  and

– Virtual Organizations: enhancing discovery and innovation by bringing people and resources together across institutional, geographical and cultural boundaries. 

• FY08: $47.9M for ~30 awards

– 1900 LOIs, 1300 preliminary proposals, 200 final proposals

Adapted from Jeannette Wing’s Snowbird 2008 presentation (http://www.cra.org/Activities/snowbird/2008/slides/Wing_Snowbird08.pdf) Douglas H. Fisher

No LOIs in 2009

This proposal adopts a multi-faceted approach for solving the indoor navigation problem for people with limited vision. It leverages expertise from robotics, computer vision, and blind spatial cognition with behavioral studies on interface design to guide the discovery of information requirements and optimal delivery methods for an indoor navigation system. Designing perception and navigation algorithms, implemented on miniature-size commercially-available hardware, while explicitly considering the spatial cognition capabilities of the visually impaired, will lead to the development of indoor navigation systems that will assist blind people in their wayfinding tasks while facilitating cognitive-map development.

CDI-Type II: Collaborative Research: Cyber Enhancement of Spatial Cognition for the Visually Impaired

SearchingandBrowsing

Directorates and Offices

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NSF cares aboutcommunicating scienceto the public (highlights)

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Update on Computer Graphics and Visualization

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112033

“Advances in such areas as computer vision and image retrieval, information visualization and data mining, and multimodal interfaces and human-computer interaction, among others, have led to a portfolio of NSF investments now spanning both CCF and IIS.”

“…we encourage PIs to submit proposals in computer graphics to the Human Centered Computing Program in IIS and include "computer graphics" as one of their keywords, and to submit proposals in visualization to the Information Integration and Informatics Program in IIS and include "visualization" as one of their keywords. Computational geometry proposals should continue to be submitted to the Algorithmic Foundations Program within CCF.”

Haym Hirsh, Division Director, Information and Intelligent SystemsSampath Kannan, Division Director, Computer and Communications FoundationsJeannette M. Wing, Assistant Director

Computer and Information Science and Engineering DirectorateNational Science Foundation

Another example of NSF responsiveness (from the NSF/CISE Website):

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Getting to know an NSF entity’s areas of coveragebeyond the textual descriptions (can beparticularly helpful for cross-cutting programs)

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91 awards (search: 10/23/08)

Identifying NSF entities covering particular areas

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Directorate forBiological Sciences (BIO) a)0 b)10 c)3 d)21 e)53 f)2

Directorate forComputer & InformationScience & Engineering (CSE) a)5 b)93 c)29 d)188 e)100 f)14

Directorate forEngineering (ENG) a)0 b)21 c)8 d)30 e)44 f)5

Directorate forGeosciences (GEO) a)2 b)7 c)1 d)5 e)181 f)12

Directorate forMathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) a)4 b)52 c)1 d)46 e)233 f)6

Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI)a)18 b)34 c)0 d)4 e)18 f)1

a) Where does “petascale computing” reside – research and applications?b) ………………“high-performance computing” ………………………………..?c) …………….. “knowledge discovery” …………………………………………...?d) …………….. “data mining” ………………………………………………………?e) …………….. “data analysis” …………………………………………………....?f) ……………… “data visualization” ………………………………………………?Search (active) NSF Award titles and abstracts for X ( http://www.nsf.gov )

Where is data analytics for knowledge discovery with HPC found at NSF?

The number (not magnitude) of awards for each search key is given and is suggestive of relative support level in each NSF Directorate and Office

Douglas H. Fisher

Searches approximately 9/8/08

Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CSE) a)5 b)93 c)29 d)188 e)100 f)14

Computer and Communication Foundations (CCF)a)1 b)36 c)7 d)44 e)42 f)2

Computer and Network Systems (CNS)a)4 b)54 c)6 d)54 e)16 f)8

Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS)a)0 b)3 c)16 d)90 e)42 f)4

a) “petascale computing” b) “high-performance computing” c) “knowledge discovery”

d) “data mining” e) “data analysis” f) “data visualization

Where is data analytics for knowledge discovery with HPC found in CSE?

Douglas H. Fisher

high-performance & “data mining”: CNS (2)

high-performance & visualization: NSF (69), CSE (32), OCI (16)

“data mining” & visualization: NSF(0)

How much research is supported at the intersection: interactive data mining on HPC

Approaching NSF on individual proposals: do your homework and approach relevant Program Director(s) with a white paper

NSF is guided by bottom-up (i.e., community) and by top-down influences, so you can:

Approach NSF as a community: do your homework and approach relevant Program and/or Division Directors with a Workshop white paper, proposing investigations into new, emerging fields

“interactive data mining on HPC” is consistent with CISE and NSF themes featuring “human in the loop”, “data to knowledge”, “understanding and managing complexity”, “computational thinking”, and “high-performance computing”

Douglas H. Fisher

Get to know all of NSF, not simply CISE, but OCI, ENG, MPS, SBEbecause CS&E research andeducation funding opportunitiesare found across NSF

Supplement opportunities toexisting grants

e.g.,

Get to know the Office ofInternational Science & Engineering(OISE)

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CDI !!*

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Concluding Remarks

Douglas H. Fisher

• Call/email program directors with questions about the fit of your research and/or education ideas with respect to NSF – white papers by email help

• Indicate your willingness to be a reviewer and panelist (CDI is coming up!) and send a vita

• Consider service as a PD, a DD, an AD

• Explore the NSF Website – there are many funding opportunities for research and education

• NSF Merit Review Criteria

○ What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity? ○ What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

○ NSF staff also will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:

– Integration of Research and Education

– Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities