[ACT-R-users] Future of ACT-R Workshops

[Dario Salvucci]

Personally I think ICCM is better off staying on a 2-out-of-3-year  
schedule with springtime European meetings -- for the sake of ICCM  
itself, as well as the ACT-R workshop.

Dario


On Jul 17, 2009, at 12:30 PM, John Anderson wrote:

> Colleagues:
>
> I was hoping that there would be some discussion of the future of
> ACT-R Workshops at the Future of ACT-R session at the ACT-R workshop
> before Cognitive Science.  However, Richard Young urges me to have
> some position with respect to this matter in advance of ICCM.   There
> is some possibility (I don't know how likely) that ICCM might turn to
> annual summer meeting which would conflict with the nearly annual
> ACT-R Workshops that have been the mainstay of the ACT-R community.
> Richard argues that the "ACT-R" position on this might inform the
> ICCM decision.
>
> So subject to  further input from the ACT-R community here is our
> position and some facts:
>
> 1.   It would be nice from the perspective of the ACT-R community to
> continue the 2 ICCM meetings every 3 years with the European meeting
> around around Easter (or however that logic works).  This would mean
> two annual meetings every three years and something different on the
> third year to shake us up.
>
> 2.   However, it seems like the tail wagging the dog to insist on
> this if the rest of the ICCM community wants to go to annual
> meetings.   So if ICCM goes annual, we will have to adapt.   There
> are at least 4 ways to adapt:
>     (a) Be inventive every year and figure out something different
> every year.   Having experienced trying to be inventive for two years
> in a row, I can say this is an unlikely option.
>     (b) Have a one-day workshop/tutorial like we did before the 2007
> ICCM or like we are doing before this years Cognitive Science.
> While these are great as one-time options I don't think they provide
> for enough community interaction.
>     (c) Have an annual meeting in the winter.  The logistics may be
> problematical.   More about this below.
>      (d) Have an annual meeting in late Spring (late May probably) a
> couple of months before the probable ICCM meetings.  My current guess
> is that this is the most likely option but it is also the one that
> offers the most conflict with a summer ICCM.   That time is the best
> time in Pittsburgh weather-wise although I note that Wayne Gray held
> a very successful meeting in the DC area and Danilo Fum held a very
> successful meeting in Trieste.   These may models for future meetings.
>
> 3. The choice among these options  and others (if ICCM goes annual
> summer) awaits further discussion of the community.
>
> With respect to next year there remain a number of options on the  
> table:
> 1.  Hold a meeting nearly right after the New Year in Miami (most
> likely location).   However, nothing has been done to plan this and
> so it is becoming less likely.
> 2.  There has been discussion of a joint meeting of ACT-R and Soar
> focused on architecture.   This would be during the May/June border
> when weather is nicest in Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor.   I think this
> could be quite exciting but a comparative-architectures meeting is
> not a model for re-occurring future meetings because it would compete
> too much with ICCM.
> 3.   Relive the 2001 Postgraduate school at Coolfont before the 2009
> ICCM meetings in Philadelphia.
>
> Please think about these options and let your opinions be known
> electronically or at the Cognitive Science workshop.
>
> I hope to see most of you over the next couple of weeks,
> John
>
> -- 
>
> ==========================================================
>
> John R. Anderson
> Carnegie Mellon University
> Pittsburgh, PA 15213
> Office: Baker Hall 345D
> Phone: 412-417-7008
> Fax:     412-268-2844
> email: ja at cmu.edu
> URL:  http://act.psy.cmu.edu/
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>

_____________________________________
Dario Salvucci, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
Drexel University
http://www.cs.drexel.edu/~salvucci/