CPS 300
Introduction to Graduate Study

Science and technology in the public interest

Computer science researchers are privileged to enjoy public funding and support for their efforts. Most of the funding for graduate students in the department comes from US federal government grants. In the US, the consensus for a federal role in science and technology was established in the aftermath of World War II, and is supported across the political spectrum.

The rationale for public funding of science research and graduate study is that our work has potential to serve the public good. Thus it is the responsibility of the scientific community to understand public needs and to develop research agendas that serve those needs.

• Science - The Endless Frontier (Vannevar Bush, 1945). This document from the intellectual father of the Web established the foundation for US government support of research in science and technology.
• Computing Research: Driving IT and the Information Industry Forward (CRA). This 1997 document includes case studies of commercial impacts of Information Technology (IT) research.
• A New Social Contract for Research (PDF) by Peter J. Denning (1996). Dr. Denning has long been an advocate for viewing the academic research enterprise as a partnership with the "consumers" of IT research. In this article he addresses factors threatening to undermine the effectiveness of university research communities.
• Computer Science and Telecommunications Board. Leading academics and technologists serve on the CSTB, which provides independent assessments of technical and public policy issues relating to computing and communications for the National Academy of Sciences.