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

[John Anderson]

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

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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/