Connectionists: CogModel notes: ICCM13/BRIMS13/outlets/RFPs/Jobs/bone marrow

Frank Ritter frank.ritter at psu.edu
Sun May 19 11:53:19 EDT 2013


This is based on the International Cognitive Modeling Conference
mailing list that I maintain.  I forward messages about twice a year.
(this is the third one for ICCM 2013, and I think last.)

The first announcement is driving this email -- tutorial program is up
for ICCM 2013 in Ottawa, and registration will open soon.  The rest
indicate new publication outlets, resources, and jobs in Cog Sci and in
cognitive modeling. I have also included an unusual item for the end.

If you would like to be removed, please just let me know.  I maintain
it by hand to keep it small.

I've added a conflict of interest note to each item.  I've become more
aware of CoI recently.  (As an aside, PSU's web site requires exact
dollar amounts for each stock owned and consulting fees, does yours?
PSU says most universities do, and I know of none that do. Happy to
correspond on this.)

[Hypertext version available at 
http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2013/iccm-mailing-may2013.html]

cheers,

Frank Ritter                 frank.e.ritter at gmail.com
http://acs.ist.psu.edu       http://www.frankritter.com

****************************************************************

1.  ICCM 2013,  Ottawa, 11-14 July 2013,   registration open on 3 June
     http://www.iccm-conference.org/2013/schedule

2.  ICCM 2012 tutorials:  Soar/VPA/SDA/Quantum/C3trace,  Ottawa, 11 Jul 13
     http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2013/tutorials.html

3.  BRIMS 2013 to be held concurrent with ICCM 2013
     http://brimsconference.org/

4.  Call For Papers 2013 AAAI Fall Symp. on Integrated Cognition, 15-17 nov 13
     due, 24 may 13,    http://intcog.ict.usc.edu

5.  BICA 2013 Meeting, last call for papers, due 15 May 13, but....
     http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2013

6.  RFP:  Perspectives on understanding
      http://www.varietiesofunderstanding.com, due 1 nov 13

7.  Advances in Cognitive Systems Journal call
     http://www.cogsys.org/instructions/

8.  CfPapers - Second Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems
     http://www.cogsys.org,  due 16 sept 13

9.   CFPapers:  The Computational Social Science Society of the Americas
      http://computationalsocialscience.org/csssa2013, due 3 june 13

10.  CFPapers:  J. of Interaction Science
     http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/

11.  25th APS Annual Convention, 23-26 May 13  Washington, DC
     http://www.psychologicalscience.org/convention

12.  1st International Summer School on Cog. Computation, 26-30 aug13
      http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/events/COGCOMP2013, due 27 may 13

13.  CfProposals: Research area for applied models, NIDRR,  due 8 july 13
     http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-07/pdf/2013-10824.pdf

14.  CSIRO Intelligent Sensing and Systems Laboratory (ISSL) positions
      due, 26 may 13, http://www.csiro.au

15.  Associate Professors in Computer Science at Aarhus University
     http://www.cs.au.dk/, due 15 aug 13

16.  Call for bone marow donors
       http://www.nalinineedsyou.com

****************************************************************
****************************************************************

1.  ICCM 2013,  Ottawa, 11-14 July 2013,
     http://www.iccm-conference.org/2013/

The conference will be held from 11 to 14 July 2013 in Ottawa, Canada
at Carleton Universitat.  The tutorials will be held 11 July 2013.
We hope to see you in Ottawa!

The International Conference on Cognitive Modeling (ICCM) is the
premier conference for research on computational models and
computation-based theories of human behavior.  ICCM is a forum for
presenting, discussing, and evaluating the complete spectrum of
cognitive modeling approaches, including connectionism, symbolic
modeling, dynamical systems, Bayesian modeling, and cognitive
architectures. ICCM includes basic and applied research, across a wide
variety of domains, ranging from low-level perception and attention to
higher-level problem-solving and learning.

The chairs are:
    Robert L. West <robert_west at carleton.ca>
    Terrence C. Stewart (tcstewar at uwaterloo.ca)

    [CoI disclosure:  program committee and tutorial chair]
****************************************************************

2.  ICCM 2012 tutorials:  Soar/VPA/SDA/Quantum/C3trace,  Ottawa, 11 Jul 13
     http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2013/tutorials.html

The Tutorials program at the International Conference on Cognitive
Modeling (ICCM) 2013 will be held on 11 July 2013. It will provide
conference participants with the opportunity to gain new insights,
knowledge, and skills from a broad range of areas in the field of
cognitive modeling.  It includes/co-exists with two tutorials from
BRIMS.

The program includes:

  Quantum models of cognition and decision
  [Tutorial from the BRIMS Conference held jointly with ICCM]
  Busemeyer & Wang, Half day

  Modeling Human Performance in C3TRACE
  [Tutorial from the BRIMS Conference held jointly with ICCM]
  Warwick, Half day

  The Soar Cognitive Architecture
  John Laird, Full day

  How to analyze verbal protocols to support cognitive modeling
  Tenbrink, Half-day

  Measuring simulation-observation fit: An introduction to ordinal 
pattern analysis
  Throrngate, Half-day (1345-1700)

[CoI disclosure:  tutorial chair]
****************************************************************

3.  BRIMS 2013 to be held concurrent with ICCM 2013
     http://brimsconference.org/

>From Dan Cassenti, the general chair of BRIMS

I am thrilled to announce that the BRiMS (Behavior Representation in
Modeling & Simulation) Conference will be held this year after
all. Originally, circumstances limiting financial support for BRiMS
caused its cancellation from a planned event in San Antonio this
March. After this cancellation, BRiMS executive leadership worked
diligently and gained the support of the International Conference on
Cognitive Modeling (ICCM) leadership to form a partnership. Their
gracious support allowed BRiMS to be co-located with ICCM 2013 (see
http://www.iccm-conference.org/2013/node/1).

As a BRiMS supporter, I hope you will have the opportunity to join us
at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada from July 11 to July 14,
2013. Registration to BRiMS will be made through ICCM, so if you
register for ICCM, you will be entitled to attend BRiMS talks. The
presentation will be mostly mixed, except for serial BRiMS and ICCM
tracks on one day (please contact me directly if you wish to register
for only the serial BRiMS session, accommodations for this option will
not be available on site during the conferences). Please see our new
web site at https://cc.ist.psu.edu/BRIMS2013/ for more information. If
you have questions or concerns, please contact me at
this email address or with the phone number below.

Hope you plan to attend!

Best Regards,
Dan Cassenti
(410) 278-5859

    [CoI disclosure:  program committee]
****************************************************************

4.  Call For Papers 2013 AAAI Fall Symp. on Integrated Cognition, 15-17 nov 13
     due, 24 may 13,    http://intcog.ict.usc.edu

Call For Papers 2013 AAAI Fall Symposium on Integrated Cognition
  November 15-17, Westin Arlington Gateway, Arlington, Virginia

Integrated Cognition is concerned with consolidating the functionality
and phenomena implicated in natural minds/brains and/or artificial
cognitive systems (virtual humans, intelligent agents or intelligent
robots).

The aim of this symposium is to bring together researchers from across
the spectrum of approaches and perspectives to exchange research
results and discuss how best to create an ongoing forum for such
exchanges.

The focus is on how the mind arises from the interaction of its
constituent parts, and includes everything implicated in human-??level
performance in complex environments.

This includes not only traditional cognitive aspects - such as
planning and problem solving, knowledge representation and reasoning,
language and interaction, and learning - but also perception and
control, personality and emotion, and motivation.

It also includes not only integration across cognitive mechanisms, as
is typical in work on cognitive architectures, but also across more
abstract constraints on cognition.

It furthermore includes work on across-level integration, including
combining cognitive capabilities with aspects of lower levels, whether
computational or neural; as well as integrating in aspects of higher
levels, whether cognitive applications or the social band from
Newell's time scales.

Contributions to this symposium may cover the integration of
mechanisms, capabilities, constraints, models, applications and
levels; and may involve the creation, enhancement, evaluation and/or
analysis of such combinations.

Contributions may be in the form of technical papers with results on
integrated cognition, panel discussions of key issues in integrated
cognition, or proposals for new approaches to integrated cognition.

The forum is open to all paradigms, with evaluation of submissions
based on the general criterion of how much they further our
understanding of integrated cognition.

Proposals for discussion panels should involve 4 to 6 participants and
include a description of the overall panel topic as well as abstracts
for each panelist contributions.

Papers and discussion panel proposals should be between 5 and 8 pages
long, including references, in AAAI format
(http://www.aaai.org/Publications/Author/author.php).

Submissions in PDF format are due by May 24, 2013 to either or both of
the conference co-chairs by email only:

Christian Lebiere Department of Psychology Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA Email: cl at cmu.edu Phone: (412) 268-6028

Paul S. Rosenbloom USC Institute for Creative Technologies 12015
Waterfront Dr., Playa Vista, CA 90094 rosenbloom at usc.edu (310)
448-5341

Additional details about the symposium, such as a list of the full
organizing committee and current schedule, can be found on the
symposium web site at http://intcog.ict.usc.edu

     [CoI disclosure:  program committee]
****************************************************************

5.  BICA 2013 Meeting, last call for papers, due 15 May 13, but...
     http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2013

Annual International Conference on Biologically Inspired Cognitive
Architectures (BICA), Fourth Annual Meeting of the BICA Society

Kiev, Ukraine, September 14-15 (Saturday-Sunday)
  http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2013

Submission deadline is May 15th, but, if you need a short extension, email:
Point of Contact:  Alexei Samsonovich
alexei at bicasymposium.com

The BICA Society (http://bicasociety.org), V.M.  Glushkov Institute of
Cybernetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
(http://www.icyb.kiev.ua/?lang=en) O.O.  Bogomoletz Institute of
Physiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
(http://biph.kiev.ua/en/Main_Page) Taras Shevchenko National
University of Kyiv (http://www.univ.kiev.ua/en/) National Technical
University of Ukraine (Kyiv Polytechnik Institute:
http://inter.kpi.ua/)

THIRD CALL FOR PAPERS The challenge of creating a real-life
computational equivalent of the human mind, known as the BICA
Challenge, calls for our joint efforts to develop biologically-
inspired intelligent agents and co-robots that can be accepted and
trusted by the human society as partners in various roles.  To do
this, we need to better understand at a computational level how
natural intelligent systems develop their cognitive and learning
functions.


Specific task for BICA 2013 is to put together four major thrusts:
neuro-, social, cognitive and computer sciences, approaching the same
BICA Challenge from four different perspectives (B, I, C, A):

B: Neuroscience, the goal of which is to understand how the brain
   works.  I: Integration with social, economic, educational science,
   arts and humanities.  C: Cognitive sciences, pursuing the goal to
   understand how the mind works.  A: Artificial intelligence,
   attempting to replicate the complete complex of human intelligent
   behavioral capabilities in a machine.

Therefore, specific topics spanning, but not limiting, the scope of
BICA 2013 can be quite arbitrarily grouped as follows (the lists are
sorted alphabetically):

This 1.5-day conference including keynote talks, paper presentations,
panel discussions and exhibits.  Ad hoc working groups and breakout
sessions together with informal panel discussions will help us to
create an atmosphere of excitement and opportunity, supporting
brainstorming and development of new collaborations.  Consistent with
this agenda, our captivating social program includes a welcome
reception, high-standard coffee breaks, pre- ordered lunches, a Think
Tank boat trip with a banquet on the river Dnepr, a trip to the Caves
Monastery of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra - all included in the
registration fee, that also covers publications, registration
materials etc.  The working language is English.

Special issue of the journal BICA that will be printed before the
conference and included in the registration package.

Submit your paper at http://www.ees.elsevier.com/bica/

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the Guide for Authors
(http://www.elsevier.com/journals/biologically-inspired-cognitive-
architectures/2212-??683X/guide-for-authors).

Submit with the comment in the first line of the cover letter relating
your manuscript to BICA 2013

Paper categories include: Letter (~2500 words, up to 6 pages,
   preferred) and Research Article (~8000 words, up to 20 journal
   pages including references, figures and tables)

Registration fee payment will be due after the conditional acceptance
of your paper, before its final acceptance, and before the
registration deadline for Authors that will be specified.
Registration will open soon.

Notifications of submission intent are requested and should be sent
via email to alexei at bicasymposium.com as soon as possible

Submission deadline is May 15, 2013

Further information about BICA 2013 can be found on the conference web
page at http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2013.

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************

6.  RFP:  Perspectives on understanding
      http://www.varietiesofunderstanding.com, due 1 nov 13

New Perspectives on the Psychology of Understanding

Fordham University, with the support of a grant from the John
Templeton Foundation, invites proposals for the "New Perspectives on
the Psychology of Understanding" funding initiative.

Our aim is to encourage research from both new and established
scholars working on projects related to understanding in its many
forms.

This $1.2 million RFP is intended to support empirical work in
cognitive, developmental, educational, and other areas of psychology.

Proposals can request between $50,000 and $225,000 for projects not to
exceed two years in duration.

We intend to make 7-8 awards.

Timeline
    November 1, 2013   Letters of Intent due
    March 1, 2014	    Invited full proposals due
    April 15, 2014           Full proposal decisions
    July 1, 2014 Research begins

For more information, visit: http://www.varietiesofunderstanding.com

All questions should be directed to:
  psychology at varietiesofunderstanding.com

Psychology Director
  Tania Lombrozo, Assistant Professor of Psychology
  University of California, Berkeley

Project Leader
  Stephen Grimm
  Associate Professor of Philosophy Fordham University

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************

7.  Advances in Cognitive Systems Journal call
     http://www.cogsys.org/instructions/

As you know, Advances in Cognitive Systems (http://www.cogsys.org/) is
a new electronic journal, now in its second year, that publishes
contributions in the original spirit of AI, which aimed to explain the
mind in computational terms and reproduce the entire range of human
cognition in computational artifacts.

Advances in Cognitive Systems is associated with an annual conference
of the same name, the first instance of which took place last December.
The second volume of the journal served as the electronic proceedings
of that meeting. I am writing to tell about a new policy that alters the
relationship between journal and conference slightly:

- Authors are still welcome to submit papers for publication either
   to the electronic journal or to the annual conference.

- If a journal submission (16 pages) is received at least one month
   before the conference deadline and is accepted for publication,
   its authors will be invited to present a talk at the conference.

- If a long submission (16 pages) to the conference is accepted
   for presentation at the meeting, it may either be included in the
   annual proceedings or be invited to appear in the journal.

- If a short submission (8 pages) to the conference is accepted
   for presentation at the meeting, it will be included in the annual
   proceedings but not in the journal.

This policy should spread submissions across the year, giving
more flexibility to authors and reducing the load on reviewers while
letting more researchers present their results at the conference.

You can find more details at http://www.cogsys.org/instructions/ and
in the call for papers to the Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive
Systems, which should be available shortly.

Sincerely,

Pat Langley, Editor
Advances in Cognitive Systems

    [CoI disclosure:  no relationship, on their mailing list]
****************************************************************

8.  CfP - Second Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems
     http://www.cogsys.org,  due 16 sept 13

Call For Papers - Second Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems

We invite submissions to the Second Annual Conference on Advances in
Cognitive Systems, which will take place in Baltimore, MD, on December
12, 13, and 14, 2013.  This meeting will bring together researchers
with interests in human-level intelligence, complex cognition,
integrated intelligent systems, cognitive architectures, and related
topics. The purpose is to provide a venue for research on the initial
goals of artificial intelligence and cognitive science, which aimed to
explain the mind in computational terms and to reproduce the entire
range of human cognitive abilities in computational artifacts. Because
many researchers remain committed to this original vision, there is
need for a meeting that provides a place to present recent results and
pose new challenges for the field.

The conference welcomes work on any topic related to the
representation or organization of complex mental structures, their use
in multi-step cognition, or their acquisition from experience or
instruction. Some functional capabilities that arise in this context
include:

    - Conceptual Inference and Reasoning
    - Memory Storage and Retrieval
    - Language Processing
    - Social Cognition and Interaction
    - High-level Execution and Control
    - Problem Solving and Heuristic Search
    - Cognitive Aspects of Emotion and Personality
    - Metacognition and Meta-level Reasoning
    - Structural Learning and Knowledge Capture

Some research communities already address such issues, including those
dealing with cognitive architectures, cognitive robotics, commonsense
reasoning, qualitative modeling, and many others. We especially
encourage participation from those working in these and other areas
who are interested in complex cognition, human-level intelligence, and
related topics.

Important Dates
    - Paper Submission: September 6th, 2013
    - Author Notifications: October 11th, 2013
    - Final Papers: November 15th, 2013
    - Conference: December 12-14, 2013

Submissions should be either short (at most eight pages) or long (at most 16
pages). Short papers accepted for presentation at the meeting will appear in a
separate conference proceedings. Long papers accepted for presentation may
either be included in the proceedings or be invited to appear in the journal,
Advances in Cognitive Systems, depending on the program chairs' decision.

More information about submissions to the conference and journal can 
be found at:
   http://www.cogsys.org

Program Chairs
  Matt Klenk                          Palo Alto Research Center
  John Laird                            University of Michigan

Local Arrangement Chairs
  Marjorie McShane          University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  Sergei Nirenburg              University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Organizing Committee
  Paul Bello                            Office of Naval Research
  Kenneth Forbus               Northwestern University
  Ashok Goel                                         Georgia Institute 
of Technology
  John Laird                            University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  Pat Langley                         University of Auckland / 
Carnegie Mellon University
  Marjorie McShane          University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  Sergei Nirenburg              University of Maryland, Baltimore County

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************

9.   CFP:  The Computational Social Science Society of the Americas
      http://computationalsocialscience.org/csssa2013, due 3 june 13

The Computational Social Science Society of the Americas
Santa Fe, NM
22-25 August, 2013

You are invited to participate in the annual conference of the
Computational Social Science Society of the Americas (CSSSA).  The
conference will be held at The Bishop's Lodge in Santa Fe, New Mexico,
August 22nd - 25th, 2013.

Computational Social Science (CSS) is a scientific discipline where
computational methods and simulation models of social dynamics are
employed to offer new insights into social phenomena beyond what is
available with traditional social science methods. The CSSSA 2013
Conference will bring together international practitioners of CSS to
present peer reviewed research using computational social science
methods.

Keynote Speakers:
  Steven F. Railsback, Humboldt State University
  J. Doyne Farmer, Oxford University & Santa Fe Institute

Special Sessions:

Advances in Computational Social Science

The committee invites high quality papers that discuss theoretical
concerns and other non-model based contributions to the field.
Limited space will be available for such papers and only the very best
and most relevant of these submissions will be accepted.

Models of War and Peace

CSSSA 2013 will highlight a special session with the theme of "Models
of War and Peace".  Submissions relating to this theme are especially
welcome.

Submissions:

The CSSSA program committee invites papers and posters concerning
computational models of social phenomena. Models from all social
science disciplines are welcomed. Preference will be given to
submissions that present an implemented, functioning computer model or
simulation.

All submissions, including posters, will be subject to peer
review. The Program Committee and conference organizers may request
that submissions for papers be converted into posters, or vice versa,
depending on scheduling and content.

Papers and posters can be submitted at:
https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=csssa2013.  Registration
for the conference can be done online soon. (stay tuned for
registration link in the meantime please e-mail us at
csssa2013 at computationalsocialscience.org )

Papers:
Papers should be submitted in Springer's "Lecture Notes in Computer
Science (LNCS)" format. Papers should be no more than 12 pages
including bibliography and all figures. Strong preference will be
given to papers that include an attached ODD (Overview, Design
Concepts, and Details) protocol (see
http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/13/4/9.html). This should be included as
an attached addendum to the submitted paper (merge with the paper into
one single document, with a blank page separating the paper and the
ODD addendum). The ODD is not counted toward the 12 page limit.

Posters:
Poster submissions require only an 800 word abstract. They should be
clearly marked as poster submissions.

Paper Publication:
All accepted papers will be made publicly available on the CSSSA
website. While this posting does indicate successful conference peer
review, the CSSSA website is not a publication of record (no DOI or
handle is assigned) and should not interfere with the submission of
the same material to academic or professional journals.  A selection
of the strongest papers (as determined by the Program Committee) will
be submitted (with the authors' consent) to the Journal of Artificial
Societies and Social Simulation (JASSS) for consideration as a special
issue of the journal.

Best Paper:
CSSSA offers a cash prize of $500 for the best paper. All full-paper
submissions are eligible for this prize. The Program Committee will
look most closely at papers with clearly documented computational
models that shed new light on social science phenomena.

Important Dates:
  Submissions Due: June 3, 2013    Author Notification: July 3, 2013
  Revisions Due: August 1, 2013    Final Version Due: August 9, 2013
  Conference Dates: August 22-25, 2013

Consortium for Biosocial Complex Systems |
Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ 85281

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************

10.  CFP:  J. of Interaction Science
     http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/

[this can be a home of modeling paper related to interation]

Professor Susanne Bahr would like to tell you that our dynamic, new
"high-impact" journal, the "Journal of Interaction Science" will be
published by Springer next year.

The Journal of Interaction Science (JoIS) has a unique focus to
promote research based on:

* Scientific approaches to interaction design,
* The use of interaction paradigms for fundamental research in
    human and computer centred sciences
* The use of computer science to support scientific research.

On the one hand, our scope is narrowly focused specifically on
promoting scientific HCI; on the other hand, it is broadly focused,
being designed to attract a wide audience and research by the large
number of human-centred scientists who do not consider current HCI
journals to be sufficiently relevant to them. Interaction science and
focuses on the integration of the study of people, with that of
artifacts and the sciences involved.

We are looking for significant, scientific papers that report
empirical results, substantial new theories, methodological
innovations and important meta-analyses.

With best wishes

Susanne Bahr

Gisela Susanne Bahr, Associate Professor Florida Institute of Technology
Editor in Chief  Journal of Interaction Science
http://circua.fit.edu/
School of Psychology
Florida Institute of Technology
gbahr at fit.edu    (321) 674- 8104

    [CoI disclosure:  editorial board member]
****************************************************************

11.  25th APS Annual Convention, 23-26 May 13  Washington, DC
     http://www.psychologicalscience.org/convention

The APS Convention is the premiere international meeting solely
dedicated to psychological science, featuring special talks, symposia,
and posters presenting the latest research across the entire
field. The meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet distinguished
scientists, learn about the latest research and methods, and network
for tomorrow's collaborations.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/convention/registration.cfm

Convention Program:
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/convention

  [CoI: they posted ICCM on their web site and asked for an announcement]
***************************************************************

12.  1st International Summer School on Cog. Computation, 26-30 aug13
      http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/events/COGCOMP2013, due 27 may 13

[from AISB]

Please see below a Call for the 1st International Summer School on
Cognitive Computation, being organized and hosted by the University of
Scotland [Stirling] in Scotland, UK, from 25-30 Aug 2013.
http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/events/COGCOMP2013

Limited places (some funding available for eligible
students). Deadline: for second round of applications is May 27th,
2013. 3. To apply/or for more information: please email:
cogcomp2013 at cs.stir.ac.uk

Amir Hussain
http://cs.stir.ac.uk/~ahu/

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************

13.  Research area for applied models, NIDRR,  due 8 july 13
     http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-07/pdf/2013-10824.pdf

[There may be some proposal calls in here.  It is not itself a call,
but a pointer to an area.  I have a lot of time for Clayton, and while
I don't know about this much, I know him and he points out that there
is at least an audience for your work if not support.]

Subject: NIDRR for Computer Scientists

In 2011 I began working as a consultant to the National Institute on
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), helping to develop an
initiative on cloud computing for people with disabilities (NIDRR
provided early funding for the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure,
gpii.net, of which you may have heard). In that role I've become aware
that there are significant needs and opportunities for computer
science research in support of NIDRR's goals, but not many computer
scientists know about NIDRR and its programs.

I'm writing to you to call your attention to these opportunities,
including a brand new announcement on funding for research on
inclusive cloud and web computing,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-07/pdf/2013-10824.pdf . I've
attached a writeup, " NIDRR for Computer Scientists". [this is
embedded] Please pass it along to any colleagues who may be
interested.

NIDRR for Computer Scientists.

What is NIDRR?  NIDRR (the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research) is an agency within the US Department of
Education that funds about $110M of research per year (of course this
amount varies) aimed at improving the lives of people with
disabilities.

Why am I writing this? I'm a long-time computer science faculty member
at the University of Colorado, Boulder. In 2011 I began working as a
consultant to NIDRR, helping to develop an initiative on cloud
computing for people with disabilities (NIDRR provided early funding
for the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure, gpii.net, of which you
may have heard). In that role I've become aware that there are
significant needs and opportunities for computer science research in
support of NIDRR's goals, but not many computer scientists know about
NIDRR and its programs.

Why should computer scientists be interested in NIDRR? As information
and communication technologies become important in more aspects of
life, and as the ability of these technologies to provide useful
assistance grows, there are more and more opportunities for computer
science research to contribute to NIDRR's programs. Cloud computing,
data integration and data analytics for service effectiveness
improvement, recognition technology, social software, accessible and
autonomous transportation systems, natural language processing, and
configurable user interface technology all have a role in enabling
people with disabilities to participate in society more fully and
independently.

In a typical year NIDRR funds a wide range of projects, from
multi-year research and engineering centers, aimed at designated
aspects of disability research, to smaller "field initiated" projects
proposed by investigators. If you are not already active in disability
research, your chances of success will likely be greater if you
collaborate with other investigators who have knowledge of and
experience in disability research, though you are free to apply on
your own. Many of NIDRR's peer reviewers are disability researchers,
and of course must judge that proposals are well conceived as
contributions to that field. Proposals that represent excellent
computer science, but are weak in connecting to the needs of people
with disabilities, are unlikely to be competitive. Collaboration can
solve this problem.

You could develop such collaboration in more than one way. You could
approach local colleagues who have the necessary experience, or you
could reach out to investigators nationally who work on problems to
which the computing technology on which you work could be
relevant. For NIDRR-funded projects, current and completed, there is a
convenient search facility at
http://www.naric.com/?q=en/ProgramDatabase, where you can find
projects whose descriptions mention your institution or your state, or
particular topics of interest to you. Here are some professional
associations that publish papers on technology and disability that you
can explore to see who is doing what on the national and international
scene:

ACM Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing (SIGACCESS),
proceedings searchable at
http://dl.acm.org/sig.cfm?id=SP1530&CFID=155317526&CFTOKEN=59939155SIGACCESS;
IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society and IEEE Systems,
Man, and Cybernetics Society, publications searchable in the IEEE
Xplore Digital Library (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org);

The Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association of North
America (RESNA), proceedings at
http://www.resna.org/conference/proceedings/index.dot .

Another good way to familiarize yourself with NIDRR and its programs
is to serve as a reviewer. NIDRR is always looking for peer reviewers
with a variety of specific subject-matter expertise. See
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/nidrrpeerreview.html
for more information.

FAQ
How can I find out more about NIDRR funding programs? NIDRR has a nice
Web resource for potential applicants at
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nidrr/applyingforanidrrgrant.html. This
includes a summary of its programs, and suggestions about how to track
new funding opportunities as they arise.

What NIDRR programs are likely to be of most interest to computer
scientists? Field Initiated Projects can address any of a wide range
of issues relating to people with disabilities, including development
of new technologies, employment, independent living, and medical
rehabilitation, for any disability populations, with a wide range of
research approaches. Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects
are invited to address particular topic areas, or "priorities", and an
increasing number of these include topics in computer science. NIDRR
also participates in the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)
program.

How do I apply? The Web resource mentioned above,
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nidrr/applyingforanidrrgrant.html , has
detailed information for applicants, including tips on writing a
strong proposal.
....
How does NIDRR evaluate proposals? NIDRR uses a peer review
process. Unlike NSF, but like NIH, NIDRR evaluation is based on
numeric scoring guided by a rubric, so it is very important that all
proposal requirements are carefully addressed. Here, too,
collaboration with an experienced disability researcher can be a big
help.

Being at NIDRR has made me a big fan of the agency and the
contributions its grantees have made and are making. I hope you'll
investigate the opportunities NIDRR offers for computer scientists to
participate in this important and satisfying work. Please let me know
if I can help.

Sincerely, Clayton Lewis, NIDRR Consultant

"Lewis, Clayton (Contractor)" <Clayton.Lewis at ed.gov>
Clayton Lewis <clayton.lewis at colorado.edu>

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
***************************************************************

14.  CSIRO Intelligent Sensing and Systems Laboratory (ISSL) positions
      due, 26 may 13, http://www.csiro.au

The CSIRO Intelligent Sensing and Systems Laboratory (ISSL) is
developing innovative systems to support decision making through its
world-class ICT research capability in environmental sensor networks,
mobile sensor integration, computational intelligence and semantic and
knowledge engineering. Our projects have a strong focus on intelligent
eScience systems in informatics fields such as environment and
agriculture, psychophysiologyand human factors and molecular sciences.

We are seeking two Principal Research Scientists / SeniorPrincipal
Research Scientists to join our innovative team at our CSIRO ICT
Centre located in Tasmania. Note that a Principle Research Scientist
(CSOF 7) is equivalent to a European or Australian Associate
Professor, while a Senior Principle Research Scientist (CSOF 8) is
equivalent to a full professor.

Salary: $123-$136K for CSOF7; $147K-$158K for CSOF8 (plus up to 15.4%
superannuation) Tenure: Indefinite (full-time on-going)

To be appointed at the higher level you will need to demonstrate
extensive relevant scientific and/or industrial experience, together
with high level management and leadership capability and experience.

TAS13/01375 - PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST / SENIOR PRINCIPAL RESEARCH
SCIENTIST IN COMPUTATION INTELLIGENCE

Your role will beto lead a Computational Intelligence research team
and lead/participate in research projects, and significantly
contribute to shaping and defining the research direction of the
science area within the ICT Centre. The projects have a strong focus
on intelligent eScience systems in informatics fields such as
environment and agriculture, psycho-physiology and human factors and
molecular sciences. Overall, you will have the responsibility to shape
and drive the research agenda of the Intelligent Sensing and
SystemsLaboratory (ISSL) of the CSIRO ICT Centre in Tasmania in the
field of computational intelligence, to develop and sustain the
internationalrecognition of CSIRO in this area .

TAS13/01376 - PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST / SENIOR PRINCIPAL RESEARCH
SCIENTIST IN COGNITIVE ENGINEERING

Cognitive engineering includes the use of theories and methods from
cognitive science to inform engineering practice, and the use of
engineering theories, methods and techniques to investigate,
understand and augment human cognition. Cognitive engineering includes
user-centred design of human-machine interaction, the design of
information technology based upon human cognitive capacities and
functionality, human factors, and knowledge elicitation, modelling and
representation. Cognitive engineering within the ISSL includes the use
and development of empirical methods including psychophysiology and
eye tracking.

The Principal Research Scientist/Senior Principal Research Scientist
in cognitive engineering will provide research leadership for a
research team and lead/participate inresearch projects, significantly
contribute to shaping and defining the research direction of the
science area within the ICT Centre. Funding for the projects is
available and the projects are in their formative phases.

As Principal ResearchScientist/Senior Principal Research Scientist you
are also expected to work with external customers and partners, and to
work with business development and research management colleagues and
team members to establish collaborative work and define new externally
funded projects in the longer term.

About CSIRO: http://www.csiro.au
and the CSIRO ICTCentre is available at http://www.csiro.au/ICT

For further information and to apply visit our website at
http://csiro.nga.net.au/cp/index.cfm?event=jobs.home CSIROCAREERS,
choose "Jobs Search" and  insert Ref. No.: TAS13/01375 or TAS13/01376
where indicated.  Applications close: 11.30pm on 26 May 2012.

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************

15.  Associate Professors in Computer Science at Aarhus University
     http://www.cs.au.dk/, due 15 aug 13

[from chi]
Associate Professors in Computer Science at Aarhus University

One or more positions as associate professor are available at the
Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University
(http://www.cs.au.dk/) starting January 1, 2014.

The department has research groups within "Algorithms and Data
Structures", "Data-Intensive Systems", "Cryptography and Security",
"Mathematical Computer Science", "Logics and Semantics", "Ubiquitous
Computing and Interaction", "Computer-Mediated Activity", "Use, Design
and Innovation", "Programming Languages", "Computer Graphics and Image
Processing" and "Bioinformatics". In addition, we want to build
competences within "Software Engineering / Multicore/ Systems",
"Machine Learning / Data Mining" and "Quantum Informatics".

Applicants are expected to have several years of experience at the
assistant professor level. They must document a strong record of
original research and have teaching experience at
undergraduate/graduate level.

The department has a staff of 140 people including 28 full and
associate professors, 5 assistant professors, 25 PostDocs and 65 PhD
students. The number of students is approximately 1,000.

Further information can be obtained from head of department Kurt
Jensen (kjensen at cs.au.dk) or vice head of research Mogens Nielsen
(mn at cs.au.dk).

Please apply online at http://www.au.dk/en/job/nat/academicpositions/
before August 15, 2013.

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************

16.  Call for bone marow donor
     http://www.nalinineedsyou.com

[this came from Reg Adams via email, who did not request this
distribution directly, but, seemed worthy and interesting, and more]

Unfortunately our efforts last semester to find a match for Nalini
Ambady were not fruitful. Recall that last December we ran a very
successful drive, but it did not produce a match for her.  Nalini, an
Indian psychology professor at Stanford, has leukemia and urgently
needs a bone marrow transplant. Her best chance is to find a match in
the 8 weeks, from someone who most likely has to be Indian as
well. Nalini is a mother of two, a beloved professor and mentor, and a
wonderful person. We currently have drives going all over the country
and in India, as well as emails, postings on facebook etc. for people
to join the registry. Be the Match agreed to host another drive here
at Penn State. So, this upcoming next Wed. May 1st in Psychology,
Moore Building 127 from 11-3 p.m. we will be having another bone
marrow drive for Nalini. I will be providing snacks and light
refreshments. This time we are targeting exclusively South Asian
registrants. This might be Nalini's last chance to find a match, and
all efforts to build up the South Asian registry will undoubtedly save
many other lives as well in the future. Thank you so much for helping
with this effort! Please feel forward this message widely, so that it
might reach any and all potential South Asian donors in the
community. Even if you do know of anyone personally, there may be
potential connections in your network of contacts.

For anyone interested, more info about Nalini can be found at
http://www.nalinineedsyou.com, and by watching this video that
explains her current situation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj1aL8h3V3g.
You might also want to check out
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/science-small-talk/201303/point-click-save-womans-life
, Sam Sommers' post in Psychology Today.

What would be most helpful to this effort if everyone who gets this
email forwards it along to everyone they know, particularly any South
Asian friends, family, etc. And, if you know of anyone with ties in
India, we have bone marrow drives on the ground there too, so any
additional contacts would be most helpful (you can contact me, Reg
Adams, directly at radams at psu.edu

Be well,
Reginald B. Adams, Jr.
Department of Psychology, PSU    (814) 863-1725

    [CoI disclosure:  no relation]
****************************************************************
-30-


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