PITTSBURGH-Advances in computer science are necessary for the United States to compete globally and to address some of its most pressing challenges, says Jeannette Wing, head of Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science Department, in remarks prepared for the Sept. 2 meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Wing, who recently stepped down as assistant director of the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Division, is scheduled to speak at 10:15 a.m. during the Sept. 2 PCAST meeting at the Keck Center of the National Academies in Washington, D.C. The meeting will be available as a webcast; for details visit http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/pcast/100902/.

Tackling such challenges as energy and the environment, education and life-long learning, health care, open government and national security will require continued advances in computer science and will not be possible by merely applying existing technology, Wing says. In her remarks and in a question-and-answer session with the PCAST members, she will discuss how these advances would be a key driver of national economic competitiveness and how they could accelerate the pace of discovery in nearly every field.

PCAST is a group of the nation's leading scientists and engineers who directly advise the President and the Executive Office of the President. PCAST makes policy recommendations in the many areas where understanding of science, technology and innovation is key to strengthening the economy. PCAST is administered by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). For more information, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/pcast.