The face of computer science

“Put a face on science” was among the first recommendations offered up at the 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Forum on Science and Technology Policy, and it surfaced repeatedly. During two days of presentations and seminars in late April, the sentiment was echoed by the secretary of energy, the White House science advisor, two congressmen, and the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sometimes we need to convince people that science is worth funding, they said.