Press Releases

Computer History Museum to Host Public Discussion of the National Science Foundation's Large-Scale Computing Research Efforts for the Future

Rare west coast public forum and gathering of the Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering Advisory Committee, including Computer History Museum Fellow, Vint Cerf, and other luminaries

Mountain View, California—October 12, 2005— The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., will host the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering Advisory Committee meeting, including a public discussion and a special session on the large scale research efforts for the Future, 5-7:30 p.m., Thursday, October, 20, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. This open-to-the-public event will include scientists, engineers, researchers, contributors, and leaders of Silicon Valley high-tech industry is sponsored by Intel. It includes a reception to meet the participants in an informal setting. For reservations, please visit, www.computerhistory.org/events.

The advisory committee is composed of distinguished advisors that gather regularly to assist in shaping the federally funded research agenda. This topic is particularly important to Silicon Valley interests and also gives the community an opportunity to interact in person.

NSF has historically supported seminal computing research in many small projects. Since the beginning of its IT Research Program in 2000, the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate of the NSF has funded a number of larger scale efforts that are already having major impact.

Larry Smarr, University of California, San Diego, who has a long history working with large NSF projects, will emcee presentations that highlight work in areas such as optical-network based computing, sensor networks, cyber security and privacy.

The presentations will focus on outlining both the fundamental research results, and some of the possible applications and extensions that will be of interest to industry. Presentations taking place 5:30-6:30 p.m. include:


	Introduction by Peter Freeman,
		Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation

	Larry Smarr, Director, UCSD, Calit2
		The Importance of Large-Scale Efforts

	Deborah Estrin, Director, Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, UCLA
		How Smart Sensors May Help Save the Planet

	Shankar Sastry, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley
		Research in Ubiquitous Secure Technology (TRUST)

	Dan Boneh, Associate Professor, Computer Science Dept., Stanford University
		PORTIA: Sensitive Information in a Wired World

	David Dill, Professor, Computer Science Dept., Stanford University -
		A Center for Correct, Usable, Reliable, Auditable and Transparent Elections

Members of the NSF's Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering Advisory Committee who are expected to be in attendance include: Dr. Alfred V. Aho, Columbia University; Annie Anton, Professor, Purdue University; Randy Bryant, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University; Dr. Vint Cerf, Google; Dr. Peter Chen, Louisiana State University; William J. Dally, Professor, Stanford University; Deborah Estrin, Professor, UCLA; David J. Farber, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University; Dwight A. Gourneau, Professor, NAMTech, Inc.; Barbara J. Grosz, Professor, Harvard University; Marti Hearst, Professor, University of California-Berkeley; Elizabeth R. Jessup, Professor, University of Colorado; John L. King, Professor, University of Michigan; Dr. Maria M. Klawe, Princeton University; Dr. Daniel T. Ling, Microsoft Research; Dr. Antonio Lopez, Xavier University - New Orleans; Joseph O'Rourke, Professor, Smith College; Rosalind W. Picard, Professor, MIT Media Lab; Mr. Patrick Scaglia, Professor, HP Laboratories; Fred B. Schneider, Professor, Cornell University; Marc Snir, Professor, Head of Department of Computer Science; Dr. Alfred Z. Spector, IBM Research Division; Dr. David Tennenhouse, Research Intel Corporation; Dr. Telle Whitney, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology; Margaret Wright, Professor, New York University; Bryant W. York, Professor, Portland State University and Ellen Zegura, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology.

"Holding this forum at the Computer History Museum here in Silicon Valley offers a rare opportunity for the public to meet, interact, and contribute with principal researchers within this unique NSF set of programs," said John Toole, CEO and executive director, Computer History Museum. "We are very excited that the Museum is the host venue for this momentous gathering. This event caps a week of the Museum's Fellow Awards, where we will have inducted some of the world's top computer and technology pioneers and innovators. Thinking about the long-term future in this forum allows us to see and interact first hand with the people who are all making history today," said Toole.

About the National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.47 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

About the Computer History Museum
The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, a public benefit organization, preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and stories of the information age. Dedicated to exploring the social impact of computing, the museum is home to the world's largest collection of computing-related items, spanning decades from pre-computing objects, to semiconductors, hardware, software, computer graphics systems, games, networking, robots, the Internet, and beyond. Its growing collection also includes photos, films, videos, manuals, documents, publications, and marketing materials. Currently in its first phase, the Museum brings computing history to life through its popular speaker series, seminars, oral histories, workshops and Web-based educational resources for students, scholars and the general public. The Museum also offers self-guided and docent-led tours of Visible Storage, where nearly 600 objects from the collection are on display, including such rare objects as the Cray-1 supercomputer, the Apple I, the WWII ENIGMA, the PalmPilot prototype, and the 1969 Honeywell "Kitchen Computer." A new exhibit, "Mastering The Game: A History of Computer Chess," opened in September 2005, providing an exciting, interactive look at 50 years of innovation and work in computing. Please check the Web site for open hours. Future phases will feature full museum exhibits including a timeline of computing history, theme galleries, extensive Web-based exhibits and collection-related information, expanded education programs, a research center, and much more. For more information, please visit www.computerhistory.org or call 650.810.1010.

Press Contacts:
Steven Brewster
(650) 810-1036
brewster@computerhistory.org