This report is the result of the Cyberinfrastructure (CI) Subcommittee
of the Engineering Advisory Committee (EAC) during 2005-2006.
EAC CI subcommittee members were Fran Berman (Chair), SDSC and
UC San Diego, James Bernard, Iowa State University, Cherri Pancake,
Oregon State University, and Lillian Wu, IBM.
EAC CI Report Executive Summary:
In the last two decades, computational and information infrastructures
have become increasingly important and ubiquitous as enablers
for Engineering (and more broadly, NSF) researchers, educators,
and practitioners. In 2002, NSF convened a Blue Ribbon Advisory
Committee to evaluate the opportunities and challenges in developing
and deploying enabling “cyber-infrastructure” for
its communities. The committee’s report, commonly referred
to as the “Atkins report,” provides a compelling vision
of the opportunities for NSF’s research and education communities
through the development and provision of enabling cyberinfrastructure:
The next steps to achieving the vision for Engineering described
in the Atkins Report is a plan of action for understanding the
engineering communities’ requirements, resources, and needs,
as well as for integrating cyberinfrastructure efforts within
the broader portfolio of the Engineering Directorate’s research
and education efforts. In this report, we describe a process that
can assist Engineering to develop an integral and integrated set
of cyberinfrastructure programs that effectively support Directorate
efforts in research and education, and ensure that it is responsive
to a changing landscape as engineering, science, and technology
advance over the next decade.
