ACM MemberNet - November 20, 2014

Welcome to the November 2014 edition of ACM MemberNet, bringing you the world of ACM and beyond. Explore the many facets of ACM with our newsletter of member activities and events. Read current and past issues of MemberNet online at http://membernet.acm.org. Is there a person, event, or issue you'd like to see covered? Please email mn-editor at acm.org.

November 20, 2014

ACM's Turing Award Prize Raised to $1 Million

The funding level for the ACM A.M. Turing Award is now $1,000,000, to be provided by Google Inc. The new amount is four times its previous level. The cash award, which goes into effect for the 2014 ACM Turing Award to be announced early next year, reflects the escalating impact of computing on daily life through the innovations and technologies it enables. The new level is also intended to raise the Turing Award's visibility as the premier recognition of computer scientists and engineers who have made contributions of lasting and major technical importance to the computing field. The Turing Award honors the computer scientists and engineers who created the systems and underlying theoretical foundations that have propelled the information technology industry. The award is named for Alan Turing, the British mathematician who laid the foundation for today's always-on, interconnected world.

The 2014 Turing Award will be presented at the ACM Awards Banquet in the spring of 2015. Read more about the funding of this most prestigious award in computing in the news release.

CSEdWeek, December 8-14, Aims to Attract 100 Million Participants Worldwide

Computer Science Education Week aims to be bigger and better than ever this year, with a goal of getting 100 million people to participate in the Hour of Code, a program of tutorials in the form of one-hour introductions to computer science designed to demystify coding for everyone from young students to adult novices. As a partner of organizing coalition Code.org, ACM invites you to host an Hour of Code in your community and make computing an important part of the next generation's future.

Check out tutorials and tips here. And learn how you can help promote Computer Science beyond CSEdWeek. There's also a calendar where you can post your own events and view a map to see what's happening across the country.

Please post activities you are hosting/participating in to celebrate CS education, pass along this information, and encourage others to post their activities. Tweet about it at #CSEdWeek.

Attention CS teachers: a new Participation Kit focusing on events predominantly by and for CS teachers will guide you in hosting an event, engaging your students, getting support, and raising awareness of the many career opportunities in CS.

However you choose to participate—help us reach our goal!

AWARDS

Call for ACM Award Nominations

Each year, ACM recognizes technical and professional achievements within the computing and information technology community through its celebrated Awards Program. And annually, ACM's award committees evaluate the contributions of candidates for various awards that span a spectrum of professional and technological accomplishments. You and your colleagues are invited to nominate candidates for ACM awards, including:
Awards with November 30 nomination deadlines:

A.M. Turing Award
ACM-Infosys Foundation Award in the Computing Sciences
ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award
Software System Award
Grace Murray Hopper Award
Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award
Eugene L. Lawler Award for Humanitarian Contributions within Computer Science and Informatics
Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award
Distinguished Service Award
Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award

Please take a moment to consider those individuals in your community who may be suitable for nomination. Refer to http://awards.acm.org/award_nominations.cfm for nomination guidelines and the complete listing of Award Subcommittee Chairs and Members.

MEMBER RECOGNITION

Call for ACM Senior Member Nominations

The Senior Member advanced grade of membership recognizes ACM members with at least 10 years of professional experience and 5 years of continuous ACM Professional membership who have demonstrated performance and accomplishment that set them apart from their peers. Nominations are accepted on a quarterly basis. The deadline for nominations is December 3. Please read Advice to Those Seeking ACM Senior Members by former Senior Member Committee Chair Susan Rodger on how to submit a strong nomination package.

SIG AWARDS

ACM SIG Awards Recognize Achievements in Diverse Fields

ACM's Special Interest Groups (SIGs) regularly cite outstanding individuals for their contributions in more than 35 distinct technological fields. Some awards presented (or to be presented) at recent conferences:

SIGEVO Impact Award
SIGUCCS: Penny Crane Award, Communication Awards, Hall of Fame

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

Tapia 2015, February 18 to 21, Boston, Massachusetts

Tapia 2015, the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, bring together students, faculty, researchers, and professionals in computing from all backgrounds and ethnicities to celebrate diversity in computing; connect with others with common backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, and gender; network with computing leaders in academia and industry; and be inspired by great presentations and conversations with leaders in the field. Schedule speakers are Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Jack Dongarra, University Distinguished Professor, EECS, University of Tennessee and recipient of the 2013 ACM/IEEE Ken Kennedy Award; Dilma Da Silva, Professor and Department Head, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University and an ACM Distinguished Speaker; Odest Chadwicke Jenkins, Associate Professor, Brown University; Shaun Kane, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder; and Jacky Wright, Vice President, Microsoft IT Strategic Enterprise Services.

The conference is named after Richard Tapia, a mathematician and professor in the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University, who was born to Mexican immigrant parents in Los Angeles. While at Rice, Tapia has directed or co-directed more underrepresented minority and women doctoral recipients in science and engineering than anyone in the country, and has led several programs that have brought recognition to the university's commitment to diversity.

SIGCSE 2015, March 4 to 7, Kansas City, Missouri

SIGCSE 2015, the SIGCSE Technical Symposium, addresses problems common among educators working to develop, implement and/or evaluate computing programs, curricula, and courses. The symposium provides a forum for sharing new ideas for syllabi, laboratories, and other elements of teaching and pedagogy, at all levels of instruction. The theme for 2015 is "Keep Connected, Keep Committed, Keep Computing," and the conference will add demos and lightning talks to its ususal program of papers, panels, posters, special sessions, workshops, and birds-of-a-feather sessions. Teaching Computing Foundations to Non-Majors, Teaching Computing as Science in a Research Experience, Simulating IBM Watson in the Classroom, and Improving Undergraduate Student Performance in Computer Science at Historically Black Colleges and Universities through Industry Partnerships are just a few of the topics that will be covered.

CSCW 2015, March 14 to 18, Vancouver, Canada

CSCW 2015, the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, is the premier venue for presenting research in the design and use of technologies that affect groups, organizations, communities, and networks. Bringing together top researchers and practitioners from academia and industry who are interested in the area of social computing, CSCW encompasses both the technical and social challenges encountered when supporting collaboration. Events include workshops on Feminism and Feminist Approaches to Social Computing; the Future of Networked Privacy; and Ethics for Studying Online Sociotechnical Systems in a Big Data World. The ACM Conference on Learning at Scale (L@S 2015) will be held March 14 to 15 and is co-located with CSCW.

PUBLIC POLICY

Renee Dopplick Named Director of ACM Public Policy Office

Renee Dopplick has been named Director of the ACM Public Policy Office, succeeding Cameron Wilson. She oversees ACM's efforts to educate policymakers, the computing community, and the public about policies that will foster and accelerate innovations in computing, computing education, and related disciplines in ways that benefit society. Renee joined ACM as Senior Public Policy Analyst on computer and technology issues. She previously worked at the World Wildlife Fund.

Renee earned a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to law school, she managed software development projects for the US government, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 clients in the telecommunications, financial services, and health sectors. She was a consultant with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She worked with Avaya, Ford Motor Company, Haights-Cross Publishing, Thomson, and WashingtonPost.com, among others.

A Sun Certified Enterprise Java Architect, Renee also holds a BS degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and an MS degree from Michigan State University.

USACM Submits Comments on National Privacy Research Strategy

On October 17, USACM submitted comments in response to the Request for Information from the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program on a National Privacy Research Strategy. The request asked for input on the privacy objectives that would inform the strategy. USACM outlined several scenarios that highlight privacy issues that would benefit from additional research. The comments also recommended including more than one paradigm for evaluating privacy research results. USACM encouraged the use of multi-disciplinary approaches to privacy research questions. Read more in the Tech Policy blog and in the November 6 Washington Update.

MEMBER PROGRAMS

Become an Ambassador for ACM—You Could Be a Grand Prize Winner!

The Ambassadors for ACM program rewards ACM members like you for encouraging new members to join. Your first-hand experience with ACM's valuable career development and continuous learning programs makes you a perfect envoy to share your ACM experiences with prospective members. The 2014–2015 Ambassadors for ACM program offers opportunities for you to earn new prizes, rewards and bonus gifts with each referral.

Submit the ACM Referral Form, and your referrals can join ACM at a special discount rate. Our members are our greatest asset. Your support of ACM is critical to our continuing efforts to advance computing as a science and a profession. Please consider becoming an Ambassador for ACM.

Featured Member Benefit: ACM Group Term Life Plan

Three in 10 American households (35 million) are uninsured and half say they need more life insurance. This crucial benefit can mean the difference between financial security and financial burden for the loved ones left behind. The ACM Group Term Life Plan administered by Mercer Consumer is an important member benefit available to ACM members and their families at economical, group-negotiated rates. ACM members and their spouses/domestic partners are eligible to apply for up to $500,000 in benefit amounts. (Children's coverage is available up to $5,000.) This plan also offers an Accelerated Life Benefit, which pays up to 60% of the benefit amount before death if the insured is diagnosed as terminally ill. Other plan features include a 30-day review period and the option for members to choose their own beneficiary. Learn more about ACM Group Level Term Life Insurance Plan, or call 1-800-503-9230.
AG-10666
AR Ins. Lic. #303439
CA Ins. Lic. #0G39709
In CA d/b/a Mercer Health and Benefits Insurance Services LLC
66817

LEARNING CENTER

Watch December 3 Webcast, "Data Access and Entity Framework""

Register to watch the latest free ACM webcast, Data Access and Entity Framework, to be presented on December 3 by Terry Coatta, CTO, Marine Learning Systems, and member of the ACM Practitioners Board. The talk will be followed by a live question and answer session moderated by Erik Meijer, Founder and CEO, Applied Duality, and member of the ACM Queue Editorial Board.

ACM Learning Webinars are free with registration, available for streaming on all major mobile devices, and are recorded for on-demand viewing.

Recent Additions to Skillsoft IT and Desktop Video Library

Did you know that ACM members have access to thousands of IT and productivity videos from Skillsoft in the ACM Learning Center? Covering a variety of today's hottest topics, these videos offer "on-the-job" support and solutions for busy practitioners.

Recently, Skillsoft added significant video content in the following knowledge areas: Algorithms and Data Structures, ASP.NET MVC 4, CompTIA CASP CAS-002 (Advanced Security Practitioner), CompTIA Linux+ 2014, Big Data, CompTIA Network+ 2014, Debugging, Java-Spring, Managing Citrix XenDesktop 7 Solution, Microsoft Azure and Web Services, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, Microsoft Office Online and Office 365, R Programming, SOA (service-oriented architecture), SITCS 1.0 (Implementing Cisco Threat Control Solutions), SOLID (Agile principles), and TSHOOT 2.0 (Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP Networks). To access these and other videos, visit the Learning Center, log into Skillsoft and Books 24x7 with your ACM member credentials, then browse by IT and Technical Video Topics.

CAREER & JOB CENTER

Import Your LinkedIn Profile in ACM's Career & Job Center

Be sure to visit ACM's Career & Job Center to update your résumé or create a new one in the Résumé Bank. ACM members' résumés include an ACM logo on their entry, highlighting their ACM membership to employers.

Now available when posting a résumé in the Résumé Bank: import your LinkedIn profile. You will be required to sign in to your LinkedIn account. Please note that LinkedIn does not have exactly the same fields as ACM, so you will have to review the imported information and update where necessary. Once you have a résumé created and saved in our system, you can publish it to the Résumé Bank so that employers find you! Or keep it private and use it when applying online for jobs. Log in to ACM's Job Board and post your résumé today. You can also upgrade to a Preferred Résumé to keep it at the top of the Résumé Bank, highlighted with a star next to it for increased visibility ($25 for 90 days).

In addition, ACM offers CareerNews, which provides summaries of articles on career-related topics of interest to students and professionals in the computing field, in a bi-weekly email alert to ACM members. ACM members can subscribe to the CareerNews email alert service.

For more information about the Career & Job Center please contact Jennifer Ruzicka.

CSTA JOB BOARD

Computer Science Teachers Association Job Board Matches Job Seekers, Employers

The Computer Science Teachers Association's CSTA Job Board is the career hub for K-12 Computer Science teachers. The career center provides access to 100% computer science K-12 teaching-related job postings.

The CSTA Job Board will allow you to manage your career:

Search and apply to K-12 computer science related jobs
Upload your anonymous résumé and allow employers to contact you
Set up job alerts specifying your skills, interests, and location to receive email notifications when a job is posted that matches your criteria

or recruit for open positions:

put job openings in front of the most qualified group of K-12 computer science-focused professionals
Simply create an employer account on the CSTA Job Board and choose from three levels of online job postings options: Basic 30-Day Online Job Posting ($190); Enhanced 30-Day Online Posting ($250); or Premium 30-Day Online Posting ($310).

CSTA Members: be sure to visit the CSTA Job Board directly (or click the Job Board link from the CSTA homepage) to create and upload your résumé to the Résumé Bank so that employers find you, or keep it private and use it when applying online for jobs. Log in and post your résumé today!

STUDENT NEWS

Apply to Participate in 3rd Annual Heidelberg Laureate Forum, August 2015

Applications for students to attend the Third Heidelberg Laureate Forum, taking place August 23–28, 2015 in Heidelberg, Germany, are now open. The HLF will once again bring together winners of the Abel Prize and Fields Medal (mathematics) as well as the ACM A.M. Turing Award and Nevanlinna Prize (computer science) for an inspiring week in Heidelberg, Germany. Beginning November 17, all interested young mathematicians and computer scientists from around the world are invited to apply for one of the 200 sought-after spots at the Forum. Successful candidates will be selected by an international committee of experts that will ensure only the most qualified candidates are invited. The young researchers attending the second Forum were from 59 countries. There are 100 spaces available for each discipline of mathematics and computer science. The application round will end February 28, 2015. Read more about how to apply in the FAQ.

Upcoming ACM Student Research Competitions: Submission Deadlines

ACM Student Research Competitions (SRCs), sponsored by Microsoft Research, offer a unique forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present their original research at well-known ACM sponsored and co-sponsored conferences before a panel of judges and attendees. The most recent SRC winners presented at ASSETS 2014. The next conferences accepting submissions are:

CHI 2015, April 18-23, 2015, deadline January 5, 2015
MOBILESoft 2015, May 16-17, 2015, deadline January 16, 2015

Learn about more competitions on the SRC submissions page.

ACM-W Student Scholarships for Attendance at Research Conferences

The ACM Women's Council (ACM-W) provides support for women undergraduate or graduate students in computer science and related programs who wish to attend research conferences. This exposure to the computer science research world can encourage a student to continue on to the next level (Undergraduate to Graduate, Masters to Ph.D., Ph.D. to an industry or academic position). The student does not have to present a paper at the conference she attends. Students can apply an unlimited number of times; however, once a student receives an award, she is no longer eligible for future ACM-W scholarships.

The ACM-W scholarships are divided between scholarships of up to $600 for intra-continental conference travel, and scholarships of up to $1200 for intercontinental conference travel. Scholarship applications are evaluated in six groups each year, in order to distribute awards across a range of conferences.

ACM-W encourages the student's home department to match the scholarship award and recognize the student's achievement locally within their department. In addition, if the award is for attendance at one of several ACM Special Interest Group conferences (SIGACCESS, SIGACT, SIGARCH, SIGCOMM, SIGCHI, SIGCSE, SIGDA, SIGECOM, SIGEVO, SIGGRAPH, SIGHPC, SIGIR, SIGITE, SIGMM, SIGMOBILE, SIGOPS, SIGPLAN, and SIGSOFT), the SIG will provide complimentary conference registration and a mentor during the conference. The number of free registrations available varies from SIG to SIG. The 2013-2014 scholarships are made possible by generous support from Google.

For application form, notification dates and more information, please visit the scholarships page.

Graduating Students Eligible for Special Transition Rate

ACM offers a special ACM Professional Membership for $49 USD (regularly $99) to help graduating students make the transition to professional careers, and take advantage of continuous learning opportunities, including free online books and courses and access to ACM's Career & Job Center. This one-year-only transition rate includes all the benefits of Professional Membership plus the option of purchasing a Digital Library subscription for $50. Recent graduates can access this special transition offer through ACM's convenient online renewal form, or by following the instructions on the paper renewal form. For more information, visit the Reasons to Transition to Professional Membership page.

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS PROGRAM

Featured ACM Distinguished Speaker: Jian Pei

The Distinguished Speakers Program (DSP) is one of ACM's most valued outreach programs, providing universities, corporations, event and conference planners, and local ACM chapters with direct access to top technology leaders and innovators from nearly every sector of the computing industry.

This month's featured speaker is Jian Pei. Jian is currently Professor of Computing Science at the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University. His research interests are in effective and efficient data analysis techniques for novel data intensive applications and in various techniques of data mining, Web search, information retrieval, data warehousing, online analytical processing, and database systems, as well as their applications in social networks, health informatics, business and bioinformatics. His research has been supported in part by governmental funding agencies, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as by industry partners, such as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard (HP), IBM, and SAP Business Objects. Jian is an associate editor or editorial board member of the premier academic journals in his fields, including ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data (TKDD).

For more information on Jian, please visit his DSP speaker information page.
Jian Pei's Digital Library author page.

IEEE-CS and ACM have joined to share their invited speaker programs, to further the dissemination of technical knowledge of computing fields that greatly benefit both memberships. IEEE-CS chapter volunteers can host a speaker from ACM's Distinguished Speakers Program (DSP), with access to top technology leaders and innovators from nearly every sector of the computing industry, by following the instructions on the DSP site. Make sure you identify yourself as an IEEE Computer Society Chapter.

IEEE-CS provides a popular offering of first-quality speakers serving its professional and student chapters. The Distinguished Visitors Program (DVP) owes its success to the many volunteers and staff members of the Computer Society who generously contribute their time and talent. Organizers of an ACM chapter, conference, or event can host a speaker from IEEE-CS's DVP by following the instructions on the DVP site. Make sure you identify yourself as an ACM chapter or event.

CHAPTERS NEWS

Notice of ACM Chapters to Be De-Chartered

ACM is de-chartering the following chapters due to inactivity: http://www.acm.org/chapters/chapter-decharter/. Members interested in revitalizing their chapters should contact the ACM Local Activities Department.

Welcome New ACM Chapters

Chapters are the "local neighborhoods" of ACM. The regional ACM Professional, Student, ACM-W, and Special Interest Group (SIG) chapters around the globe involve members locally in competitions, seminars, lectures, workshops, and networking opportunities. ACM welcomes these new chapters that were chartered October 22 to November 13:

ACM Student Chapters:

Colorado State University ACM-W Student Chapter, Fort Collins
GKM ACM Student Chapter, GKM College of Engineering and Technology, Chennai, India
Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science ACM Student Chapter, Puthencruz, India
SPMC ACM Student Chapter (Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College, University of Delhi), New Delhi, India
Tai Yuan ACM Student Chapter, Tai Yuan, China
University of Virginia ACM-W Student Chapter, Charlottesville
UPRM ACM-W Student Chapter, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
USMA ACM SIGSAC Student Chapter, US Military Academy, West Point, New York
Wichita State University ACM Student Chapter, Wichita, Kansas

ACM Professional Chapters:

Udaipur ACM Chapter, Udaipur, India
Tai Yuan ACM Chapter, Tai Yuan, China
Zhengzhou ACM Chapter, Zhengzhou, China

ACM-W NEWS

Poster Competitions at Local Celebrations Provide Valuable Experience for Students

By By Jodi Tims, Celebrations Project Chair and Valerie Barr, ACM-W Chair

ACM-W Celebrations are local events that showcase female role models, encourage mentoring and networking, supply accurate information about computing careers, and create opportunities for women to present their research, often for the first time in their careers. Many of the ACM-W Celebration events include poster competitions for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research and project work. During the 2013-2014 academic year, 10 Celebrations held poster competitions. We congratulate the following winners!

Undergraduate Division:

Xinjie Guan, University of Missouri–Kansas City
Lalla Mouatadid, University of Toronto
Kylie Moden, Trinity University
Safurah Abdul Jalil, University of Auckland
Ashley Conard, DePauw University
Jheanelle Linton, Johnson C. Smith University
Farheen Azam, Virginia Commonwealth University
Miranda Parker, Harvey Mudd College
Toni Jackson, Transylvania University
Monir Hajiaghayi, University of British Columbia

Graduate Division:

Tara Michels-Clark, University of Tennessee–Knoxville
Giulia Franchi, Indiana University
Berthel Tate, Bowie State University
Mahsa Badami, University of Louisville

ACM-W provided sponsorships for nine of these women to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC 2014) in October. At GHC, the women were invited guests at the ACM-W reception, where they were able to meet many ACM-W Council members and other guests. We are very appreciative of the volunteers who help judge the poster competitions at the Celebration events. This is an important part of the Celebration because it is very rewarding to the students who present their work, and informative for the rest of the conference attendees. ACM-W is happy to be able to help bring some of these extraordinary young women to Grace Hopper each year.

You can find information on starting new Celebrations and conference planning resources on the ACM-W Celebrations site. Please contact Jodi Tims for any additional assistance.

Join ACM-W's Membership Email List

Did you know that ACM-W offers a general email distribution list for its members? This ACMW-public list is a communication channel for disseminating general information about ACM-W, bulletins and upcoming events. To join the list: http://signup.acm.org/listserv_index.cfm?ln=ACM-W-PUBLIC.

Also read the ACM-W Connections newsletter for updates on ACM-W programs: local celebrations, scholarships and awards, chapters, and more.

PUBLICATIONS NEWS

ACM Transactions on Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Computing Systems Accepting Submissions

The new ACM journal ACM Transactions on Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Computing Systems (TOMPECS) is now accepting submissions. Visit the submissions site for more information.

ACM Transactions on Graphics Seeking New Editor-in-Chief

ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG) is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief. Nominations are due November 30.

Information Systems Category Editor Needed for Computing Reviews

Computing Reviews, the post-publication review and comment journal of ACM, is seeking a volunteer interested in serving as a category editor for a segment of the information systems area. Please see the Information Systems Category Editor search page for more information.

ACM Queue Presents: There's No Such Thing as a General-purpose Processor

David Chisnall of the University of Cambridge argues that despite the current trend of categorizing processors and accelerators as "general purpose," there really is no such thing, and believing in such a device is harmful. The problem of dark silicon (the portion of a chip that must be left unpowered) means that it is going to be increasingly viable to have lots of different cores on the same die, as long as most of them are not constantly powered. Efficient designs in such a world will require admitting that there is no one-size-fits-all processor design and that there is a large spectrum, with different tradeoffs at different points.

Subscribe to Communications of the ACM, the computing industry's most trusted source for news, analysis and insights! Non-members can use our online form and receive a new ACM membership with your 12-month subscription, or request a sample issue using our online free trial issue form.

ACM IN THE NEWS

"Researchers Push Supercomputing's Bleeding Edge With Diverse Applications"

CIO.com, November 18, 2014
One of five finalists will be awarded ACM's Gordon Bell Prize this Thursday at the SC14 high performance computing conference in New Orleans.

"In Newest Tally, Supercomputing Progress Tapers Off"

CNet, November 17, 2014
The Top500 machines are ranked by how well they can perform complex mathematical calculations using a speed test called Linpack. However, the Linpack benchmark is imperfect and Top500 organizer Jack Dongarra (who received the ACM/IEEE Ken Kennedy Award for 2013) is developing a new benchmark called HPCG.

"Google Lifts the Turing Award into Nobel Territory"

The New York Times, November 13, 2014
ACM's A.M. Turing Award for achievements in computer science was given a major boost this week when Google announced it would be quadrupling the prize money attached to the award to $1 million, nearly the amount awarded for a Nobel prize.

"Wireless Devices Used by Casual Pilots Vulnerable to Hacking, Computer Scientists Find"

Jacobs School of Engineering, November 10, 2014
Apps and wireless devices used by private pilots during flights may be vulnerable to various hack attacks, according to computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego. They presented their findings at the 21st ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security.

"API Copyrights a 'Threat' to Tech Sector, Scientists Tell Supreme Court"

Ars Technica, November 9, 2014
Dozens of computer scientists, including ACM past president Vint Cerf, are urging the US Supreme Court to overturn a May federal appeals court decision that said application programming interfaces (APIs) are subject to copyright protections.

"Hour of Code to Launch in U.K."

ComputerWeekly.com, November 6, 2014
Code.org (of which ACM is a partner) wants to expand its worldwide campaign to 100 million people, and is now focusing on the United Kingdom. The organization's Hour of Code encourages individuals to learn the basics of computer programming in 60 minutes.

"New Research Shows Vulnerability in Mobile Phones' Applications Offering Voice Communication Security"

UAB News, November 5, 2014
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are studying the security vulnerabilities of video- and voice-over-Internet Protocol communications. The researchers presented their findings at the 21st ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security.

"Computer Scientists Say Meme Research Doesn't Threaten Free Speech"

Computerworld, November 4, 2014
In a letter to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the heads of five of the US's largest computing research organizations, including ACM, refuted political attacks on a research project at Indiana University that seeks to understand what makes ideas go viral, particularly on Twitter.

"Contactless Cards Fail to Recognize Foreign Currency"

Newcastle University, November 1, 2014
Research into a flaw in Visa's Europay-MasterCard-Visa (EMV)-based contactless payment card system that could allow hackers to approve unlimited cash transactions without a PIN when the amount is requested in a foreign currency was presented at the 21st ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security.

"Harnessing Error-Prone Chips"

MIT News, October 30, 2014
Researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory presented Chisel, a system that lets programmers identify sections of their code that can tolerate small errors, at the recent Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages and Applications (OOPSLA) conference.

"Stroustrup Highlights Next C++ Goals: Parallelism, Concurrency"

InfoWorld, October 29, 2014
Although still nascent, higher-level parallelism is expected to be a key theme of the next version of C++, dubbed C++17, says ACM Fellow and Grace Hopper Award recipient Bjarne Stroustrup, the founder of the language.

"Anne Condon: Computer Scientist. Passionate Academic. Triathlete."

TechRepublic, October 27, 2014
Women were far more well represented in computer science when ACM Fellow Anne Condon first decided in high school the subject sounded interesting, despite never having used a computer. Decades of theoretical computer science work later, Condon, head of University of British Columbia's CS department, is dedicated to helping young women find their way in the field.

"Powerful New Software Plug-in Detects Bugs in Spreadsheets"

University of Massachusetts Amherst, October 23, 2014
UMass at Amherst computer science doctoral student Daniel Barowy recently released a new data-debugging software tool at the Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages and Applications (OOPSLA) conference.