The interdisciplinary study of mind, brain, and thought --- Cognitive Science --- is about fifty years old. The field is thriving, producing insight into the mechanisms of thought by integrating observation, experimentation, computational modeling, and theory from a variety of traditional disciplines. But the place of Cognitive Science in education and the workforce is unclear, as students and professionals are driven towards ever more specialization and ever more grounding in technical disciplines. What are the prospects for Cognitive Science on the eve of its fiftieth birthday? What are the current, dominant theories and methods? How can Cognitive Science inform the design of human technologies and tools? How should education and training in Cognitive Science evolve to meet the needs of the 21st century workforce?
The National Science Foundation will sponsor a conference to take stock of the current state of Cognitive Science, and to look to its future in the academic and industry settings. Cognitive scientists from universities, government agencies, and a variety of companies and organizations from across the US will participate. Participants will be chosen to cover the gamut of cognitive science expertise, including experimentalists, modelers, computer scientists, language theorists, ethnographers, and educators. The conference will be held at UC Merced, a new research university with plans to develop a world-class Cognitive Science department.
