![]() ![]() I believe we must dream big and articulate visions for the future that inspire and attract. We are debating the nature of computing education-what are the essential elements of computing writ large and the compelling intra- and interdisciplinary research visions for the future? Despite this, or perhaps because of it, we find ourselves at an intellectual and emotional crossroads, facing a metaphorical midlife crisis. Over the last sixty years, computing has profoundly affected commerce, science and society. ![]() ![]() More generally, vision is navigating the shoals between the treacherous rocks of the truly impossible and the placid waters of the purely pedestrian. It is that ineffable notion of taste, where one must choose compelling problems from among a plethora of seemingly equally inviting ones. It is the ability to imagine what could be, to see what is invisible to most and obvious to only a few. Is it persistence? Absolutely, for Edison was right discovery is 99 percent perspiration.Ībove all, I believe the most precious and rare element is vision. Is it talent? Certainly, as anyone who has ever taught a class knows and understands. Is it knowledge? Without doubt, for each discovery builds on the vast and interconnected web of previous discoveries. I have often reflected on the critical ingredient to discovery and innovation. I pause and ponder both each time I enter the House hearing room. In simple, yet haunting lines, these two Janus-like invocations capture the rewards that accrue to those who both articulate and-equally critically-act on visions, and they warn of the dire consequences for those do not. Where there is no vision, the people perish. The second inscription, from Proverbs, is a sobering warning to those who do not feel the siren call of intellectual curiosity, marshaled by strategy and tactics: It satisfies some of our oldest and deepest yearnings: to understand what and how and why. Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would beĪfter all, this is why we were first attracted to research in general and computing in particular. The first inscription, a line from the poet Alfred Tennyson, captures the rapturous joy that is birthed by scientific discovery:įor I dipped into the future, far as human eye could see The quotations command attention because they are inscribed on the paneled wall behind the seats of the committee members-and all witnesses face the committee and that wall. Each time I have testified there on aspects of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program, I have paused to reflect on the two quotations inscribed there. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology is as formal and imposing as the name suggests. Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline.Creating Institutional Homes for Computing.National Virtual Computing Research Mentor Program (UR2PhD). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |