tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post2948778816766232705..comments2024-03-14T01:32:43.610-06:00Comments on The Geomblog: $10 million for complexity theory...Suresh Venkatasubramanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898357513326041822noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-61809781959901235942008-08-21T16:18:00.000-06:002008-08-21T16:18:00.000-06:00(Also posted at Mitzenmacher's blog)Somebody sent ...(Also posted at Mitzenmacher's blog)<BR/><BR/>Somebody sent me a link to this discussion. As Michael knows, I am also the chair for the Sigact committee for advancement of TCS, and our efforts are also leading to expansion of funding for theory in general.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately (or fortunately) the trend towards giving larger grants seems irreversible, and there is no way for a specific field to "opt out" of such a cross-cutting program in exchange for increases in that field only.<BR/><BR/>If we hadn't got this grant, some other group in CS would have. It is not the same pot of money.<BR/><BR/>Our proposal was actually quite specific and broke up the larger complexity/algorithms agenda into short and medium term goalposts. (By the way, this is an important part of writing theory grants for cross-cutting programs; I'm happy to talk to anybody who plans to apply to such programs about and needs some tips).<BR/><BR/>"Business as usual"...<BR/><BR/>Believe me, we got a lot of grilling over this at all stages of this multistage process. There were almost no theory people on the final panel, and I am amazed that they were so receptive to our project. In fact, I think 3 out of 4 funded projects (out of 75 that entered the competition) are somewhat related to theory or algorithms.<BR/><BR/>BTW, our project is a bit broader than just complexity theory. And Princeton is one of 4 participating institutions.<BR/><BR/>Sanjeev AroraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-6267992559569524912008-08-18T23:26:00.000-06:002008-08-18T23:26:00.000-06:00Actually one of the mandates in the proposal is to...Actually one of the mandates in the proposal is to create a new center for complexity theory at Princeton.<BR/><BR/>It's true that breakthroughs often happen in the way you mention, but don't underestimate the power of a center to draw researchers together, have workshops where people interact, etc. This is all part of what will happen as part of this grant, I believe, and one only need look at the success of venues like DIMACS, Dagstuhl, and others to feel confident that good things will come of this. <BR/><BR/>Also, it's in a sense a statement: departments watch closely to see what the NSF is funding as a way of guiding their own growth efforts, and this is a strong validation of efforts in an area that traditionally gets short shrift at hiring time.Suresh Venkatasubramanianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15898357513326041822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-4222791729618392822008-08-18T22:15:00.000-06:002008-08-18T22:15:00.000-06:00I wonder about the value of such large grants to a...I wonder about the value of such large grants to a small group of theoreticians unless it is to set up a new center such as DIMACS that helps bring together many people.<BR/>Theoretical breakthroughs mostly happen because of inspired individuals working at many diverse places. This is in contrast to system building efforts which benefit from having a single large and capable group making a systematic effort over some given time horizon to make use of existing knowledge and some new stuff. Having one (or a few) group helps in managing and streamlining the choices and trade offs that have to be made in building any large and complex system. <BR/><BR/>Of course the group at Princeton is outstanding and they will produce high quality stuff. However, I am not convinced that the 10 million is going to substantially change what they already do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com