IT2: an information technology initiative for the twenty-first century - NSF plans for implementation

first, the IT2 Initiative is explained in some detail. We shall elaborate on the scientific content of this program, pose some open questions, and outline the path we at NSF plan to pursue to achieve the program goals. In the second part of the presentation, we shall discuss the identity of computer science as a scientific discipline and its relationship to other physical sciences, such as physics, chemistry, and molecular biology. We shall also focus on the "information science of computer science" and, in particular, what lessons we can derive from these other disciplines with respect to the representation of information content. Finally, we shall speculate on the future of our discipline and the challenges stemming from it. We hope to convey the excitement of perhaps a new emerging discipline anchored in information science. IT2: An Information Technology Initiative for the Twenty-first Century — NSF Plans for Implementation