Catalyzing Computing

The mission of Computing Research Association’s Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is to catalyze the computing research community and enable the pursuit of innovative, high-impact research. The CCC's official podcast, "Catalyzing Computing," features interviews with researchers and policy makers about their background and experiences in the computing community. The podcast also offers recaps of visioning workshops and other events hosted by the CCC. If you want to learn about some of the computing community's most influential members or keep tabs on the latest areas of interest then this is the podcast for you. Learn more about the CCC on our website https://cra.org/ccc/

Medical Applications for AI and Robotics with Gregory D. Hager (Part 2)

Khari Douglas interviews Gregory D. Hager, a professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University and the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare. In this episode, Hager discusses the use of robots in surgery and the future of telemedicine. Timestamps to jump to certain topics: Language of Surgery - (1:18) Automated Robotic Surgery - (13:13) Future of Computing and Medical Uses - (20:40) Future of Telemedicine - (32:14) Outro - (42:36)

01-07
44:42

Medical Applications for AI and Robotics with Gregory D. Hager (Part 1)

Khari Douglas interviews Gregory D. Hager, a professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University and the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare. In this episode, Hager discusses tactile perception, the founding of the Malone Center, and data privacy. Timestamps to jump to certain topics: Greg's Background - (1:10) Tactile Perception - (6:35) Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare - (11:47) Data Privacy - (31:40) Outro - (36:43)

01-04
37:35

Evaluating the Research Pipeline with CERP

In this episode Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Burcin Tamer and Heather Wright, respectively the Director and Associate Director of the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). We discuss CERPs ongoing projects and the benefits of diversity in computing. Timestamps to jump to certain topics: What is CERP - (1:08) Data Buddies - (4:20) Notable Evaluation Results - (12:06) Evaluating NSF REUs -(20:40) Communications Methods - (25:27) BPC Net -(29:19) Benefits of Diversity - (38:03) Outro - (48:40)

12-17
49:52

Computer Architecture with Mark D. Hill (Part 2)

Part two of Khari Douglas' interview with Dr. Mark D. Hill, the Gene M. Amdahl and John P. Morgridge Professor Emeritus of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Chair Emeritus of the CCC Council. This episode was recorded prior to Dr. Hill joining Microsoft as a Partner Hardware Architect with Azure. His research interests include parallel computer system design, memory system design, computer simulation, deterministic replay and transactional memory. In this episode, Mark discusses the importance of hardware security, the impact of AI on hardware, and working in academia vs industry. Timestamps to jump to certain topics: Hardware Security & Vulnerabilities - (1:01) Mark’s Involvement with CCC/CRA - (5:58) AI and the Future of Hardware - (10:38) Simulation of Computer Hardware - (14:00) Thoughts on Running Successful A Successful Organization - (18:11) Academia Versus Industry - (23:53) Future of Computing Research - (28:24) Outro - (30:56)

06-18
31:50

Computer Architecture with Mark D. Hill (Part 1)

Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Mark D. Hill, the Gene M. Amdahl and John P. Morgridge Professor Emeritus of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Chair Emeritus of the CCC Council. This episode was recorded prior to Dr. Hill joining Microsoft as a Partner Hardware Architect with Azure. His research interests include parallel computer system design, memory system design, computer simulation, deterministic replay and transactional memory. In this episode Hill discusses the importance of computer architecture, the 3C model of cache behavior, and overcoming the end of Moore’s law. Timestamps to jump to certain topics: What is Computer Architecture? - (1:01) Three C Model of Cache Behavior - (5:40) Log-based Transactional Memory - (9:58) End of Moore’s Law - (16:36) Hardware accelerators - (20:40) The Gables Model - (29:41) Three Other Models of Computer System Performance - (32:24) Outro - (36:15)

06-13
37:08

Health Informatics with Katie Siek (Part 2)

Part two of Khari Douglas' interview with Dr. Katie Siek, a professor in Informatics and the Chair of Informatics at Indiana University – Bloomington. Dr. Siek is interested in integrating pervasive technologies in health and wellness environments to study how technology affects interventions. Her research interests include human-computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, and health informatics. In this episode Katie discusses health disparities and how computing technologies can play a role in their reduction, as well as the challenges to doing health informatics research in the field. Timestamps to jump to certain topics: Sociotechnical Interventions for Health Disparity Reduction - (1:07) Ethical Use of Data in Research - (14:36) Challenges to Studying Usability of Technology Systems in the Wild - (20:50) Social Media and Health - (28:05) Proactive Health Informatics RU - (31:00) Dream Health Informatics Research Center - (32:50) Outro - (37:11)

04-26
38:06

Health Informatics with Katie Siek (Part 1)

Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Katie Siek, a professor in Informatics and the Chair of Informatics at Indiana University – Bloomington. Dr. Siek is interested in integrating pervasive technologies in health and wellness environments to study how technology affects interventions. Her research interests include human computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, and health informatics. In this episode Katie discusses health informatics, fitness trackers, data ownership, and aging in place. Timestamps to jump to certain topics: What is Informatics - (0:55) Fitness Trackers and The Accuracy of Their Data - (9:20) Data Ownership - (17:16) Aging in Place - (22:42) Outro - (34:17)

04-19
35:19

Autonomous Flight and Landing on Mars with Behçet Açikmeşe (Part 2)

Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Behçet Açikmeşe. Behçet was a technologist and a senior member of the Guidance and Control (G&C) Analysis Group at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 2003 to 2012 where he developed guidance, control, and estimation algorithms for formation-flying spacecraft and distributed networked systems, proximity operations around asteroids and comets, and planetary landing. He is currently a Professor in Aeronautics & Astronautics, as well as Electrical & Computer Engineering, at the University of Washington and a member of their Autonomous Controls Lab. In this episode, Dr. Acikmese discusses control theory and the University of Washington Autonomous Controls Lab. Timestamps to jump to certain topics below: Intro - (00:00) Control Systems and Spaceflight - (01:31) Convex vs. Non-convex Optimization - (10:25) Markov Decision Process - (14:02) Model Predictive Control - (19:43) Lossless Convexification - (21:04) University of Washington Autonomous Controls Lab - (25:00) Assured Autonomy - (31:15) Outro - (36:50)

03-08
37:44

Autonomous Flight and Landing on Mars with Behçet Açikmeşe (Part 1)

Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Behçet Açikmeşe. Behçet was a technologist and a senior member of the Guidance and Control (G&C) Analysis Group at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 2003 to 2012 where he developed guidance, control, and estimation algorithms for formation-flying spacecraft and distributed networked systems, proximity operations around asteroids and comets, and planetary landing. He is currently a Professor in Aeronautics & Astronautics, as well as Electrical & Computer Engineering, at the University of Washington and a member of their Autonomous Controls Lab. In this episode, Dr. Açikmeşe discuss his time at JPL and what it takes to land a rover on Mars. Timestamps to jump to certain topics below: Intro - (00:00) Background and Joining NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory -(01:23) Landing a Rover on Mars - (06:00) Other Projects at JPL -(19:46) Sensors on Spacecraft - (27:10) Landing on Earth vs. Mars - (31:42) Working at JPL and Career Advice - (33:55) Outro - (40:56)

03-01
41:50

Open-Source Exhibitions with Andreas Matt

This episode of the podcast is taken from a video interview with Andreas Matt, co-founder and CEO of IMAGINARY, a non-profit organization for the communication of modern mathematics. this interview was recorded as part of traversing separation with the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation, a non-profit which was established in 2013 to foster mathematics and computer science.The foundation organizes the annual Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), a networking conference where 200 outstanding young researchers in mathematics and computer science interact with the recipients of the most renowned prizes in the field. In this episode, Andreas Matt discusses IMAGINARY and managing open source exhibitions, as well as the impact of the pandemic.

11-02
22:08

Digital Learning with Peter Mirski

This episode of the podcast is taken from a video interview with Peter Mirski, the chair in Management and IT at the Management Center Innsbruck or MCI. This interview was recorded as part of traversing separation with the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation, a non-profit which was established in 2013 to foster mathematics and computer science. The foundation organizes the annual Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), a networking conference where 200 outstanding young researchers in mathematics and computer science interact with the recipients of the most renowned prizes in the fields. In this episode, Peter Mirski discusses digital learning particularly with regards to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The video version of the interview can be found on the Heidelberg Laureate Forum’s Youtube channel.

10-26
25:04

Global Security and Graph Analytics with Nadya Bliss (Part 2)

Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Nadya Bliss, the Executive Director of Arizona State's Global Security Initiative. Before joining ASU in 2012, Bliss spent 10 years at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, most recently as a founding group leader of the Computing and Analytics Group. In this episode, she discusses the work of Arizona State University's Global Security Initiative, how to combat the spread of misinformation and the impact of sustainability on security. Timestamps to jump to certain topics below: Intro - (00:00) Nadya’s Academic Background - (01:06) Vice President for Research Strategy at ASU - (05:07) ASU’s Global Security Initiative - (13:13) Combating Minformation - (18:45) National Security and Sustainability - (34:02) Outro - (40:46)

10-05
41:41

Global Security and Graph Analytics with Nadya Bliss (Part 1)

Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Nadya Bliss, the Executive Director of Arizona State's Global Security Initiative. Before joining ASU in 2012, Bliss spent 10 years at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, most recently as a founding group leader of the Computing and Analytics Group. In this episode, she discusses her time at Lincoln Lab, what a federally funded Research and Development Center does, and the history of graph analytics. Timestamps to jump to certain topics below: Intro - (00:00) Moving to the USA from the USSR -(01:00) Working at Lincoln Laboratory - (06:30) High Performance Computing -(13:13) Graph Analytics - (20:47) Deciding to Pursue a Ph.D. - (34:39) Outro - (41:23)

09-28
42:31

Science and Technology for National Intelligence with John Beieler (Live from AAAS 2020)

This episode of the podcast was recorded live at the “This Study Shows” Sci-Mic stage at the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Khari Douglas interviews Dr. John Beieler, a former program manager at IARPA and currently the Director of Science and Technology in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In this episode they discuss working in national security and the technical challenges the intelligence community is facing.

07-06
36:31

Game-Based Learning and Integrated Photonics with Erik Verlage (Part 3)

This is part 3 of Khari Douglas’ interview with Dr. Erik Verlage, a research scientist at MIT who creates digital learning tools for photonics education. He is developing 3-D virtual lab environments that allow users to interact with micron-scale photonic circuit components, enabling self-directed learning for the emerging photonics workforce. His research areas include integrated photonics, photovoltaic materials, and photoelectrochemistry. In this episode we discuss integrated photonics and how optical fibers work.

06-29
24:36

Game-Based Learning and Integrated Photonics with Erik Verlage (Part 2)

This is part 2 of Khari Douglas' interview with Dr. Erik Verlage, a research scientist at MIT who creates digital learning tools for photonics education. He is developing 3-D virtual lab environments that allow users to interact with micron-scale photonic circuit components, enabling self-directed learning for the emerging photonics workforce. His research areas include integrated photonics, photovoltaic materials, and photoelectrochemistry. In this episode, Erik continues to discuss building educational games and using games, virtual reality, and augmented reality for job training. If you're interested in playing one of the games mentioned on the podcast, you can reach Erik Verlage at everlage@mit.edu.

06-22
26:21

Game-Based Learning and Integrated Photonics with Erik Verlage (Part 1)

Khari Douglas interviews Erik Verlage, a research scientist at MIT who creates digital learning tools for photonics education. He is developing 3-D virtual lab environments that allow users to interact with micron-scale photonic circuit components, enabling self-directed learning for the emerging photonics workforce. His research areas include integrated photonics, photovoltaic materials, and photoelectrochemistry. In this episode we discuss building educational games and using games, virtual reality, and augmented reality for job training.

06-15
39:22

Ice Cores and Chaos Theory with Liz Bradley (Part 2)

This is part 2 of Khari Douglas' interview with Dr. Liz Bradley, the current Vice-chair of the CCC Council. Bradley has been with the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder since January of 1993, and her current research focuses on nonlinear dynamics and chaos, as well as scientific computation and AI. In this episode we discuss nonlinear dynamics, chaos theory in pop culture, and the future of artificial intelligence.

05-18
31:24

Ice Cores and Chaos Theory with Liz Bradley (Part 1)

Khari Douglas interviews Dr. Liz Bradley, the current Vice-chair of the CCC Council. Bradley has been with the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder since January of 1993, and her current research focuses on nonlinear dynamics and chaos, as well as scientific computation and AI. In this episode we discuss teaching computational thinking, participating in the olympics, and using math and computing to analyze ice cores.

05-11
31:06

The Ethics of Artificial Conciousness with Natesh Ganesh

This is part two of Khari Douglas’ interview with Natesh Ganesh, a recent PhD graduate from the University of Massachussetts at Amherst and a current Research Fellow at the University of Colorado, Boulder through the NIST Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). Natesh's research interest lie in the fields of AI, neuromorphic hardware, thermodynamics, and the emergence of consciousness. In this episode we talk about some of the key contributors to the space of artificial consciousness and discuss the ethics of artificial consciousness.

03-02
32:22

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