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

[Frank Ritter]

That is a useful and thoughtful approach.   Here are a couple of 
further thoughts.

Many of those options are attractive.

There are clearly many purposes these meetings serve.  Thus, a 
homogenous answer and schedule of meetings can be a poorer diet than 
a heterogeneous approach that supports a broader set of needs, but 
does not satiate any of them.

There is an attraction to meetings in Pittsburgh and to a lesser 
extent Ann Arbor, because I can get more students more easily to 
them.   Having it this year with Cogsci, or even ICCM, made it 
impossible to get students there. (this is not one-sided, I 
understand that other students can get there).  But, having ACT-R at 
a resort location is not particularly an important issue for me.

cheers,

Frank

At 12:30 -0400 17/7/09, 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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