LINGUIST List 12.1499

Wed Jun 6 2001

Calls: Neural Information Processing Systems

Editor for this issue: Jody Huellmantel <jodylinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Richard Zemel, Neural Information Processing Systems - NIPS*2001

 ** NEW LOCATION: WHISTLER, BC, CANADA **

 Call for Workshop Proposals

 Neural Information Processing Systems -- Natural and Synthetic
 NIPS*2001 Post-Conference Workshops -- December 7 and 8, 2001
 Whistler/Blackcomb Resort, BC, CANADA

Following the regular program of the Neural Information Processing
Systems 2001 conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada, workshops on various
current topics in neural information processing will be held on December
7 and 8, 2001, in Whistler, BC, Canada. We invite researchers
interested in chairing one of these workshops to submit workshop
proposals.

The goal of the workshops is to provide an informal forum for
researchers to discuss important research questions and challenges.
Controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing
approaches are encouraged and preferred as workshop topics.
Representation of alternative viewpoints and panel-style discussions are
particularly encouraged. Workshop topics include, but are not limited
to, the following:

 Active Learning, Architectural Issues, Attention, Audition, Bayesian
 Analysis, Bayesian Networks, Benchmarking, Brain Imaging, Computational
 Complexity, Computational Molecular Biology, Control, Genetic
 Algorithms, Graphical Models, Hippocampus and Memory, Hybrid
 Supervised/Unsupervised Learning Methods, Hybrid HMM/ANN Systems,
 Implementations, Independent Component Analysis, Mean-Field Methods,
 Markov Chain Monte-Carlo Methods, Music, Network Dynamics, Neural
 Coding, Neural Plasticity, On-Line Learning, Optimization, Recurrent
 Nets, Robot Learning, Rule Extraction, Self-Organization, Sensory
 Biophysics, Signal Processing, Spike Timing, Support Vectors, Speech,
 Time Series, Topological Maps, and Vision.

Detailed descriptions of previous workshops may be found at
 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Groups/NIPS/NIPS2000/Workshops

There will be six hours of workshop meetings per day, split into
morning and afternoon sessions, with free time inbetween for ongoing
individual exchange or outdoor activities.

Selected workshops may be invited to submit their workshop proceedings
for publication as part of a new series of monographs for the
post-NIPS workshops.

Workshop organizers have several responsibilities including:
 * Coordinating workshop participation and content, which includes
 - arranging short informal presentations by experts,
 - arranging for expert commentators to sit on a discussion panel, 
 - formulating a set of discussion topics, etc.
 * Moderating the discussion, and reporting its findings and conclusions
 to the group during evening plenary sessions.
 * Writing a brief summary and/or coordinating submitted material for
 post-conference electronic dissemination.


SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Interested parties should submit a short proposal for a workshop of
interest via email by July 8, 2001. 

Proposals should include title, description of what the workshop is to
address and accomplish, proposed workshop length (1 or 2 days), planned
format (e.g., lectures, group discussions, panel discussion,
combinations of the above, etc.), and proposed speakers. Names of
potential invitees should be given where possible. Preference will be
given to workshops that reserve a significant portion of time for open
discussion or panel discussion, as opposed to pure ``mini-conference''
format. An example format is:

 * Tutorial lecture providing background and introducing terminology
 relevant to the topic. 
 * Two short lectures introducing different approaches, alternating with
 discussions after each lecture. 
 * Discussion or panel presentation.
 * Short talks or panels alternating with discussion and question/answer
 sessions. 
 * General discussion and wrap-up.

We suggest that organizers allocate at least 50% of the workshop
schedule to questions, discussion, and breaks. Past experience suggests
that workshops otherwise degrade into mini-conferences as talks begin to
run over. For the same reason, we strongly recommend that each workshop
include no more than 12 talks.

The proposal should motivate why the topic is of interest or
controversial, why it should be discussed, and who the targeted group of
participants is. It also should include a brief resume of the
prospective workshop chair with a list of publications to establish
scholarship in the field. We encourage workshops that build, continue,
or arise from one or more workshops from previous years. Please mention
any such connections.

NIPS does not provide travel funding for workshop speakers. In the
past, some workshops have sought and received funding from external
sources to bring in outside speakers. In addition, the organizers of
each accepted workshop can name up to four people (six people for 2-day
workshops) to receive free registration for the workshop program.

Submissions should include contact name (if there is more than one
organizer, please designate one organizer as the ``contact person'') as
well as addresses, email addresses, phone and fax numbers for all
organizers.

Proposals should be emailed as plain text to
 nips-workshop-proposalcs.unm.edu. 

Please do not use attachments, Microsoft Word, postscript, html, or pdf
files. 

Questions may be addressed to nips-workshop-admincs.unm.edu.

Information about the main conference and the workshop program can be
found at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Web/Groups/NIPS

 Virginia de Sa, University of California, San Francisco 
 Barak Pearlmutter, University of New Mexico
 NIPS*2001 Workshops Co-Chairs


 PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JULY 8, 2001