[PAST EVENT] The Transformative Impact of Computing and Communication in a Data-Driven World

April 25, 2014
3pm
Location
McGlothlin-Street Hall, Room 020
251 Jamestown Rd
Williamsburg, VA 23185Map this location
Farnam Jahanian

Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering

National Science Foundation


The computing discipline is at the center of an ongoing societal transformation. The explosive growth of scientific and social data, wireless connectivity at broadband speeds for billions of mobile endpoints, and seamless access to resources in the "cloud" are transforming the way we work, learn, play, and communicate. Computing and information research, infrastructure, and education form a pervasive intellectual fabric that connects a wide range of disciplines. Investment in ambitious, long-term research and infrastructure, as well as in the development of a computing and information technology workforce, are a national imperative.

I will focus my talk on some of the technological and societal trends that are shaping our future and promise to accelerate the pace of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations. I will describe how these advances influence the investment portfolio of the National Science Foundation Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate and, therefore, also serve as key drivers of economic competitiveness and are crucial to addressing the grand challenges that face society today.


SPEAKER BIO:

Farnam Jahanian leads the National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). He guides CISE in its mission to uphold the Nation's leadership in scientific discovery and engineering innovation through its support of fundamental research in computer and information science and engineering and of transformative advances in cyberinfrastructure. Dr. Jahanian is on leave from the University of Michigan, where he holds the Edward S. Davidson Collegiate Professorship and served as Chair for Computer Science and Engineering from 2007 - 2011 and as Director of the Software Systems Laboratory from 1997 - 2000. His research on Internet infrastructure security formed the basis for the Internet security company Arbor Networks, which he co-founded in 2001 and where he served as Chairman until its acquisition in 2010. He has testified before Congress on a broad range of topics, including cybersecurity and Big Data. Dr. Jahanian holds a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Fellow of ACM, IEEE and AAAS.