Chapter 2 - COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

• Introduction
• Computer and Computation Research
• Information, Robotics, and Intelligent Systems
• Microelectronic Information Processing Systems
• Advanced Scientific Computing
• Networking and Communications Research and Infrastructure
• Cross-Disciplinary Activities

The Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate's programs improve fundamental understanding of "computing and information processing" in the broadest sense of the terms, enhance the training of scientists and engineers to contribute to that understanding, and encourage and facilitate the use of state-of-the-art information technologies and computational techniques in scientific and engineering research. Computing and information processing include the creation, representation, storage, transformation, and transmission of information. Special attention is given to the computing and communications technologies--including software--employed to manage these processes, and to selected areas of application. Parallel processing, automation and robotics, large-scale integrated electronic systems, scientific computing, and networking are current areas of emphasis.

CISE is inherently multidisciplinary. In addition to supporting computer and information scientists and engineers, it also encourages collaboration with electrical engineers; mathematicians; artificial intelligence and cognitive scientists; and behavioral, economic, and social scientists. Its fields are unique in combining science and engineering methods and in the close coupling of basic and applied research methods. Support to academic institutions is provided through individual, group, and center research awards; instrumentation grants; research initiation grants; and infrastructure improvement grants.

In addition to supporting research, CISE provides access for the general scientific community to advanced computing and networking capabilities. National supercomputer centers give access to extremely powerful computing resources, train users, and develop the required software for effective use. Networking activities offer and build a national infrastructure for computer and human interaction, and communication for research and education. CISE also supports capabilities for rapid prototyping of microelectronic components and systems for research and education. In addition, CISE supports educational development through various activities such as educational infrastructure and educational supplements.

The Foundation welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists and engineers and especially encourages those initiated by women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. Scientists and engineers initiate proposals that are usually submitted on their behalf by their employing institution. The most frequent recipients of support for basic projects are colleges, universities, and nonprofit research organizations. In special cases (as noted in this Guide's introduction), grants also go to other types of institutions and individuals. In these cases, before a proposal is submitted, preliminary inquiry should be made to the appropriate program officer. Support may be requested for projects involving one or more researchers. Awards are made for projects in a single discipline and for those that cross or merge disciplinary lines.

Deadlines

Proposals may be submitted at any time unless otherwise noted, and six months should be allowed for processing.

For More Information

For additional details or answers to specific questions, contact the appropriate division director, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.

Areas of Research

Several CISE programs described below, such as Institutional Infrastructure for Research, Instrumentation, and Educational Infrastructure, cover all fields of computer and information science and engineering and are managed on a cross-divisional basis.

• Theory of Computing--Supports research aimed at improving the practice of computing and at enhancing the understanding of fundamental issues of computation. Research areas also include foundational issues such as structural complexity theory and the meaning of programs, and the development of better algorithms for selected core areas and techniques for analyzing the complexity of algorithms.

• Software Engineering--Supports research on all aspects of software development and management, thereby leading to the improvement of software productivity and quality. Topics include construction and maintenance, analysis and evaluation, architecture, and software processes and environments. Focus is on the fundamentals of computation and software that can provide bases of systematic software development and management.

• Programming Languages and Compilers--Supports research on programming languages--including the further integration of programming language research with advances in high performance computing--and compiler development. Includes research related to the translation of programs written in high-level programming languages for execution on a variety of computing systems, including parallel and distributed ones.

• Operating Systems and Systems Software--Supports research on operating systems, run-time systems, software tools, and libraries for all levels of computers and networked resources, with emphasis on systems software for high performance computing environments. Topics include research in computer security and fault-tolerant, distributed, and real-time systems. The program seeks to foster experimental research to integrate software systems work with advances in high performance computing.

• Numeric, Symbolic, and Geometric Computation--Supports research aimed at strengthening the computational infrastructure for science and engineering through theoretical investigations, design and analysis of algorithms, adaptation of algorithms to emerging computer architectures, and development of software platforms. Topics include numeric methods, symbolic and algebraic computation, computational geometry, optimization and mathematical programming, and automated theorem-proving.

• Computer Systems--Supports research on the design, evaluation, analysis, and development of computer systems and issues associated with computer graphics. Topics include work on general- and special-purpose computer architectures at the theoretical, representational, algorithmic, and software levels, and the simulation and implementation of these architectures. Also focuses on computer architecture at a high level of abstraction, with special emphasis on parallel distributed and heterogeneous computation.

• Database and Expert Systems--Supports research essential to the design, development, management, and use of databases, information retrieval, and knowledge based systems. Topics include more expressive data/information/knowledge models, including temporal, multimedia, and scientific databases; enhanced query processing including intelligent answering, interoperability in distributed/mobile heterogeneous systems, and query optimization; reliable storage, access, and manipulation of very large volumes of highly distributed data; and information systems evolution.

• Information Technology and Organizations--Supports research on the design and use of computer and communications systems used to coordinate work and decision-making. Topics include theory and models of information processing in organizations, information systems in networked environments for scientific collaboration, digital libraries, distributed artificial intelligence, and impacts and policy implications of information technology on society.

• Interactive Systems--Supports research fundamental to the design of systems to support human communication with computers and using computers. Topics include information access and usability; speech recognition and natural language understanding; alternative input/output modalities such as gesture, facial recognition, and haptics; interfaces for people with disabilities; and virtual environments where natural and artificial entities interact with shared resources.

• Knowledge Models and Cognitive Systems--Supports the development of "intelligent systems," computational systems that produce behaviors characteristic of intelligence in humans including planning, perception, reasoning, and problem-solving. Research topics include the representation of knowledge within intelligent systems, internal organizations for intelligent systems, and the acquisition of knowledge to modify the behavior of intelligent systems (learning).

• Robotics and Machine Intelligence--Supports research essential to the design of automated systems that implement characteristics of intelligence. Topics include computer vision and visual information management, sensor-based control in intelligent robots, and automatic reasoning and planning for complex tasks involving temporal and spatial relationships. Emphasis is on developing more intelligent and robust behavior and systems of reduced complexity but advanced capabilities to minimize dependence on detailed human intervention and to facilitate end-user implementation of robotic systems.

• Design, Tools, and Test--Supports research that explores the design process for integrated circuit (IC) chips and systems, particularly automating the design process in emerging, existing, and mixed technologies. Research areas include theoretical foundations for IC chip and system design such as models, algorithms, and methodologies; tools and frameworks for designing IC chips and systems; synthesis of digital and mixed signal circuits; methods for simulation and validation of designs; and manufacturing tests.

• Systems Prototyping and Fabrication--Supports research on technologies, tools, methodologies, and services for prototyping experimental information processing systems. Of particular interest are issues in rapid system prototyping for experimentation and manufacturing, including the use of field-programmable gate arrays; new interconnect technologies for building high performance computing systems such as multichip modules and optoelectronics; novel fabrication technologies including solid free-form fabrication; and systems issues--interfacing, standards, and tool integration. Other activities include design tool research that focuses on implementation issues and the physical level of system design, and the support of microelectronics education including workshops, conferences, development of curricular and courseware materials, and educational support services such as the Metal Oxide Semiconductor Implementation System (MOSIS).

• Experimental Systems--Supports research projects that involve building and evaluating information processing and computing systems. These are goal-oriented projects usually undertaken by teams of designers, builders, and users. Emphasis is on building the system and on research experiments involving the system that address significant and timely research questions. The building of the system must itself represent a major intellectual effort that will advance the understanding of information processing systems architecture. The system prototypes being built should be suitable for exploring applications and performance issues.

• Microelectronic Systems Architecture--Supports basic research on the innovative design of computer systems at the physical and system levels to achieve high system performance. It encourages studies on the impact of new hardware and software technologies and the impact of new applications and algorithms on computer system architectures. The style of architectural research employed includes theoretical and analytical studies, simulations, and limited proof-of-concept prototyping. The program places emphasis on physically realizable systems.

• Circuits and Signal Processing--Supports basic research in the areas of digital signal processing, analog signal processing, and hardware and software systems. This research is typically driven by important applications and emerging technology. A taxonomy of research areas, based on signal characteristics, applications, and technology, includes one-dimensional digital signal processing, dealing with the representation of time-varying signals--audio, EKG, etc.--in digital form and the processing of such signals; image and multidimensional digital signal processing, which involves the acquisition, manipulation, and display of multidimensional data using digital technology; statistical signal and array processing, that uses statistical techniques for the processing of signals that may arise from multiple sources; and analog signal processing, that concerns the processing of data without conversion to sampled-digital form.

• New Technologies--Supports enabling software technologies and fundamental research in high performance scientific computing. "High performance computing" refers to the full range of supercomputing activities involving existing supercomputer systems, special purpose and experimental systems, large-scale parallel architectures, and workstation clusters. Focus areas include parallel programming environments; applications-specific environments; comparison of systems and architectures; performance evaluation; novel parallel algorithms and systems; and interactive steering, graphics, and visualization. This program also supports computer scientists and mathematicians, particularly interdisciplinary teams involving a scientific or engineering discipline. Research products may include new software to support the use of parallel systems, including heterogeneous systems; techniques to assess and predict the performance of such systems; or novel approaches to problem-solving through the integration of such topics as artificial intelligence visualization, database management, and programming languages.

• Postdoctoral Research Associateships in Computational Science and Engineering--Provides support across all NSF disciplinary areas for young scientists at academic research institutions to conduct research using high performance computing systems.

• Supercomputer Centers--Provides scientists and engineers with access to high performance computers or supercomputers at the four national supercomputer centers. These facilities are dedicated to serving long-term needs, including training the academic research community on the use of advanced computing, and are continually updated. Descriptions of facilities are available from the ASC Division. Proposals for access should be directed to the centers.

• Metacenter Regional Alliances--Facilitate broad involvement in the emerging national information infrastructure, and contribute to the Nation's ability to address Grand Challenge and National Challenge application problems by enhancing the computing and communications expertise of a wide variety of university, education, and public and private sector organizations at the regional, state, or local level. An effective collaboration between existing advanced computing and communications facilities serving a local or state region and the NSF supercomputer centers is encouraged.

• Networking and Communications Research--Supports research in communications, information, and network theory and technology. Fundamental research pertaining to the communications and networking aspects of wide area, regional, or local networks; network transmission links; wireless and wired network access; personal communications systems; and internetworking of various types of networks is supported. Research priorities include coding and coded modulation; video, speech, image, and data compression in a communications and networking context; information theory; storage channels; communications signal processing; radio systems and networks; mobile network management; protocol theory, design, and engineering; network interface architectures; dynamic network control; optical network architectures; network security; switching systems; reliable networks; and fundamental limits of networking.

• NSFNET--Encourages and facilitates scholarly communication and collaboration by supporting the enhancement of networks connecting U.S. researchers and educators to information resources, computational resources, and special facilities. Other activities include supporting the connection of institutions (those not yet connected to the Internet) to a network supplier; collaboration with other nations in funding links between U.S. and foreign research and education networks; and promising, experimental, demonstration networking projects. In addition to funding a very high-speed network connecting NSF supercomputer centers and Network Access Points, the NSFNET Program provides other very high-speed links for institutions that have demonstrated the requirements for high-speed, high-bandwidth services and foster new high-bandwidth applications for networks.

• Educational Infrastructure--Supports innovative educational activities that transfer research results into undergraduate curricula in computer and information science and engineering. Projects supported are expected to act as a national model of excellence by being a prototype of educational experiences for use by a broader segment of the CISE community. Proposals may address a variety of educational activities including, but not limited to, the development of courses, instructional technologies, software, and other educational materials. Significant cost sharing is required (usually at least one-third of the total cost). Only one proposal per institution will be accepted in any one fiscal year.

• Institutional Infrastructure for Research--Supports the enhancement of experimental research capabilities in computer and information science and engineering by providing experimental research facilities, technical staff, and maintenance. The program emphasizes support for research groups either within or across departments or institutions, and makes no distinction between large- and small-scale activities. Significant cost sharing is required. A separate element called CISE Minority Institutional Infrastructure is focused on computer and information science and engineering activities at schools with predominantly minority enrollments. Prospective proposers are strongly encouraged to discuss possible proposals with the program officer before submitting a proposal to this program.

• Instrumentation--Supports the purchase of special-purpose equipment for research in all fields of computer and information science and engineering. The equipment should be necessary for the pursuit of specific research projects, be needed by more than one project, and be the kind of equipment that would be difficult to justify for one project alone. The total cost must be at least $30,000. Significant cost sharing is required (usually at least one-third of the total cost).

• Postdoctoral Research Associateships in Experimental Science--Supports young scientists to conduct research in experimental science within the CISE disciplines at research institutions.

• Special Projects--Supports activities that expand opportunities for women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in computer and information science and engineering. Support is also provided for special workshops, symposia, and analytical studies of interest to the CISE Directorate. Prospective proposers are strongly urged to discuss possible proposals with the program officer before submitting a proposal.