Reflections on science, technology, and computing — leavened by personal experience


By its nature, research is a long game, for basic research and scholarship expand the collective body of human knowledge.

Computing research and advanced computing infrastructure are interdependent, yet profoundly different in culture and metrics. As the scale and scope of computing grows, each needs to understand the constraints and needs of the other.

When any new technology appears, there is a great temptation to see it through the lens of the old, either in nomenclature or behavior. As with previous HPC technology transitions, clouds bring a set of technical and cultural challenges , but I believe we are moving down the path of successful adoption.

Today, Microsoft and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the latest awardees for the joint Microsoft-NSF research partnership in cloud computing. All of the award recipients were selected via NSF’s rigorous peer review process, which emphasized the scientific merit of the proposed work. The Microsoft/NSF partnership is but one part of a broader international…

Research challenges us to pose new questions, choose research avenues carefully, and be frugal and wise stewards of the financial trust invested in us. It means nurturing each new generation of students in the ways and methods of discovery, shaping national and international research agendas, and serving society by transferring promising ideas. Finally, it means…