ACM TechNews

NSF Hosts the Second U.S.-China Computer Science Leadership Summit

National Science Foundation (08/06/08) Cruikshank, Dana W.

Approximately 15 professors, deans, and other computer science professionals from China recently gathered with their U.S. counterparts in Arlington, Va., for the second U.S.-China Computer Science Leadership Summit. The one-day meeting gave participants an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing computing scholars. The summit reflects the growing level of cooperation between the academic research communities in both countries. The DIMACS Center at Rutgers University organized the National Science Foundation-sponsored event. China is quickly becoming a world leader in information technology research, with many Chinese universities rivaling American universities in the development of new patents and other innovations. Some believe that China's advancements threaten the U.S. economy, while others argue that creating stronger bonds between researchers in both countries will be mutually beneficial. "Science and technology have always been a powerful force for social and economic progress and for international diplomacy," says National Science Foundation director Arden L. Bement. "At no time has that been more true than today." DIMCAS Center director Fred Roberts says that one topic that generated heavy discussion was the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of modern science and the growing connections between computer science and other disciplines such as biology and social science. Another area of interest was the role of computer science in solving some of humanities' biggest challenges, including energy shortages, climate change, health care, and natural disaster response.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112023&org=olpa&from=news

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