During Barack Obamaâ''s candidacy, his understanding of and commitment to technology attracted many technology professionals. Groups like Tech for Obama rallied around him, emphasizing that his comfort with his Mac laptop and his attachment to his Blackberry would be assets to a president, and that his knowledge of technology's importance in addressing the world's problems would help make him a strong leader. Obama made these supporters even happier when he promised to appoint the first U.S. CTO, a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the country to focus on technical and science issues, much like a corporate CTO.

Obama described the CTO as someone who will "ensure the safety of our networks and lead an interagency effort, working with chief technology and chief information officers of each of the federal agencies, to ensure that they use best-in-class technologies and share best practices."

Now that he is in office, proponents of this idea are chomping at the bit to find out exactly when the CTO will be announced, who it will be, and what specific responsibilities that person will have. In talking with White House spokespeople yesterday, IEEE Spectrum confirmed that the plan as outlined during the campaign has not changed and will be carried out.

Many names have been mentioned as possibly on the short list for the position, representing top technologists from coast to coast, from Google's Eric Schmidt to Washington D.C. CTO Vivek Kundra. But these are only rumors; it could be days, weeks or months before Obama officially announces his choice. But the United States will, in this administration, get its first CTO.

â''Sarah Granger