University of Iowa Vice President for Research and Economic Development Daniel A. Reed is a committee member and co-author of the National Academies report Future Directions for NSF Advanced Computing Infrastructure to Support U.S. Science and Engineering in 2017-2020. The report is available online and for pre-order.

According to the project’s description, demand for advanced computing has been growing for all types and capabilities of systems. Concurrently, the growth of new models of computing, including cloud computing and publically available by privately held data repositories, opens new possibilities for NSF.

To gain a better understanding of the expanding and diverse requirements of the science and engineering community and the importance of a new range of advanced computing infrastructure, the NSF requested the National Research Council conduct a study examining anticipated priorities and associated tradeoffs for advanced computing.

“As computing becomes ever more central to research and discovery, it is essential that the U.S. ensure it maintains the broad capabilities – hardware, software, data and talent – to remain globally competitive,” Reed said.

The report provides a framework for future decision-making about NSF’s advanced computing strategy and programs, and offers recommendations aimed at achieving four broad goals:

(1) Position the U.S. for continued leadership in science and engineering

(2) Ensure that resources meet community needs

(3) Aid the scientific community in keeping up with the revolution in computing

(4) Sustain the infrastructure for advanced computing

In addition to serving as Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of Iowa, Reed is the University Computational Science and Bioinformatics Chair and Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering.