ACM MemberNet - Dec. 20, 2007
Welcome to the December edition of ACM MemberNet, bringing you the world of ACM and beyond. Explore the many facets of ACM with our newsletter of member activities and events. Read MemberNet online at http://membernet.acm.org/
Read TechNews, ACM's digest of news and information for IT professionals published three times a week.
Published biweekly, ACM CareerNews provides summaries of articles on career-related topics in the computing field.
ACM Officers 2008 Election Slate
Awards
- Gordon Bell Prize Awarded for Supercomputer Innovation
- Randy Pausch, Developer of Alice, Wins Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award
- ACM Names 38 Fellows for Computing, IT Innovations
- ACM Taps 20 Distinguished Engineers and Scientists for Achievements in Computing
- Call for ACM Fellows and Advanced Member Level Nominations
- ACM SIG Awards Recognize Achievements in Diverse Fields
Member Benefits - Access Your Customized Services through MyACM
- ACM's Career & Job Center: More than Just Jobs
- New SkillSoft Course Player Includes Enhanced Accessibility
- ACM Member-Get-A-Member Drive Launched
- ACM Adds Four New Offerings to Insurance Program
- Take Advantage of ACM's Lifetime Membership Plan
Conferences and Events - SIGGRAPH 2008 Goes Interdisciplinary with New Submission Process
- IUI 2008 to Explore New Generation of User Interfaces
- SIGCSE 2008 to Focus on Underserved Groups in CS Education
Public Policy - ACM Forms Committee to Improve Access to Quality CS Education
Education - MentorNet: Mentors, Protégés Helping Each Other
Student News - MentorNet: Mentors, Protégés Helping Each Other
- Upcoming ACM Student Research Competitions Call for Submissions
- ACM-W Student Scholarships for Attendance at Research Conferences
- Student Volunteers Needed to Help Train High School CS Teachers
- Graduating Students Eligible for Special Transition Rate
ACM-W News - ACM-W Call for Nominations: 2008-2009 Athena Lecturer
- InWic08 Regional Conference to Support Indiana Women in Computing
Publications News - Communications of the ACM's 50th Anniversary Issue Looks to Past and Future
- ACM Queue Explores Challenges of Document & Media Exploitation
- ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage Call for Papers
- ACM Seeks Missing SIG Newsletters for Digital Library
ACM in the News - "Faster Chips Are Leaving Programmers in Their Dust"
- "Chinese Automation Scientist Honored for 'Smart' Ideas"
ACM Officers 2008 Election Slate
The Nominating Committee has submitted the following slate of nominees for ACM's officers and Members at Large:- President (7/1/08-6/30/10):
- Wendy Hall, University of Southampton
- J Strother Moore, University of Texas, Austin
- Vice President (7/1/08-6/30/10):
- Joseph A. Konstan, University of Minnesota
- Alain Chesnais, View22 Technology Inc.
- Secretary/Treasurer (7/1/08-6/30/10):
- Norman Jouppi, Hewlett-Packard
- Barbara Ryder, Rutgers University
- Members at Large (7/1/08 - 6/30/12):
- Anthony Joseph, University of California, Berkeley
- Dan Ling, Microsoft Research (Retired)
- Peter Norvig, Google, Inc.
- Kelly Lyons, University of Toronto
- Chuang Lin, Tsinghua University
- Mary Lou Soffa, University of Virginia
- Carlo Ghezzi, Politecnico di Milano
- Mathai Joseph, Tata Consultancy Services/University of Warwick
Awards
Gordon Bell Prize Awarded for Supercomputer Innovation
ACM presented the 2007 Gordon Bell Prize to a team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and IBM for a unique simulation of a phenomenon known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the BlueGene/L, the world's fastest supercomputer. The prize, which recognizes outstanding achievement in high performance computing, was presented at SC07, the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, in November. Read the Press Release.
Randy Pausch, Developer of Alice, Wins Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award
Randy Pausch, Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, has won ACM's 2007 Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award , for creating innovative ways to teach Computer Science by making it more accessible and fun. The award cites Pausch for his "outstanding creative contributions to the art of teaching and mentoring and for the innovative Alice programming environment for creating interactive 3D experiences." The Karlstrom Award carries a $5,000 prize, which is supplied by Prentice-Hall. Pausch, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in August, delivered a moving and upbeat "Last Lecture," "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," in September. It has since been viewed over a million times on the Internet. Pausch has also been named a 2007 ACM Fellow, and is the winner of the 2007 ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education, which will be presented at the ACM SIGCSE Conference in March.
Press Release
Lecture (video)
Lecture (PDF)
ACM Names 38 Fellows for Computing, IT Innovations
ACM has recognized 38 of its members for their contributions to computing technology that have brought advances in the way people live and work throughout the world. The 2007 ACM Fellows, from the world's leading universities, industries, and research labs, created innovations in a range of computing disciplines that affect theory and practice, education and entertainment, industry and commerce.
Press Release
ACM Taps 20 Distinguished Engineers and Scientists for Achievements in Computing
ACM has named 20 of its members as recipients of a recently created recognition program for their contributions to both the practical and theoretical aspects of computing and information technology. The new ACM Distinguished Engineers and Scientists include computer scientists and engineers from some of the world's leading corporations, research labs, and universities who made significant advances in technology that are having lasting impacts on the lives of people around the globe.
Press Release
Call for ACM Fellows and Advanced Member Level Nominations
ACM recognizes annually a class of ACM Fellows, our distinguished colleagues that ACM and its members look to for guidance and leadership. ACM also has advanced grade memberships of Distinguished Engineer/Scientist/Member and Senior Member.
Senior Member recognizes ACM members with at least 10 years of professional experience and 5 years of continuous ACM Professional membership who have demonstrated performance and accomplishment that set them apart from their peers. Nominations are accepted on a quarterly basis. The next deadline for nominations is February 29, 2008.
The Distinguished Engineer/Scientist/Member designation recognizes ACM members with at least 15 years of professional experience and 5 years of continuous ACM Professional membership who have demonstrated significant accomplishments or made a significant impact on the computing field. The deadline for nominations is July 31, 2008.
Fellows are outstanding ACM members with at least 5 years of continuous ACM Professional membership who are recognized for their technical, professional and leadership contributions that advance the objectives of ACM and the field as a whole. The deadline for nominations is September 9, 2008.
ACM SIG Awards Recognize Achievements in Diverse Fields
ACM's Special Interest Groups (SIGs) regularly cite outstanding individuals for their contributions in more than 30 distinct technological fields. Some awards presented (or to be presented) at recent conferences:
Member Benefits
Access Your Customized Services through myACM
Have you visited myACM? It's the tab on the left-hand navigation menu of acm.org that serves as your login to access the benefits, products and services of ACM membership. Just use your ACM Web account ID and password to log in, and you can:- update your contact information
- view your Technical Interest Profile you set up when you joined (update function to come)
- change your email forwarding (acm.org) address
- set spam and virus filtering for all email sent to your acm.org address. (Follow the "Email Filtering" link. From there, choose "Connect to my message center." Also, if you are a first-time user, the "Message Center Quick Start" will walk you through using the filtering system.)
- redirect URL: you can change the URL that your permanent acm.org URL redirects to
- modify your listserv subscriptions (availability is based on your type of membership and subscriptions). You can also change the email address you use to receive the listserv emails
- search, read, bookmark, organize, and share online Books24x7 and Safari books without having to log into vendor sites
- manage your online Skillsoft courses without having to log into vendor site
- access the Career & Job Center, which takes you to Job Target's site, where you can post your resume, create a job alert, search jobs, and manage your account
ACM's Career & Job Center: More than Just Jobs
Many job seekers and employers are already taking advantage of ACM's Career & Job Center: the site receives approximately 1,500 to 2,000 "job views" each day, and on average lists more than 300 jobs (refreshed daily). More than 2,100 employers who have registered with Job Target, the service with which ACM has partnered, while almost 400 resumes have been posted. ACM members can also access additional Job Center features. In addition, ACM offers CareerNews, which provides summaries of articles on career-related topics of interest to students and professionals in the computing field, in a bi-weekly email alert to ACM members.
New SkillSoft Course Player Includes Enhanced Accessibility
ACM's Online Books & Courses program continues to offer members enhancements to the already valuable reference and course material for their professional and technical development. Now the SkillSoft courses have an upgraded version of the course player that includes these new features:- Auto-Play, which has been added to content with the Narrated Animation feature to provide users with a more dynamic viewing experience
- Pause, which will allow the learner to pause, play and replay narrations and accompanying flash animations
- A redesigned navigation bar, including a Resources tab that includes additional resources, Job Aids and SkillBriefs
- Closed Captioning, a new feature that has been developed to support the narrated animation templates and contains the narration in text form.
ACM Member-Get-A-Member Drive Launched
ACM's new 2007/2008 Member-Get-A-Member Recruitment Drive is now in full swing, with new prizes, and an Apple iPhone grand prize! Current members are the ideal ambassadors to communicate the advantages of joining ACM to prospective members, and those who participate by telling friends and colleagues about ACM may be eligible for valuable gifts and special recognition. ACM's Online Member-Get-A-Member program is interactive, easy to use, and rewards members for helping to recruit new members. The drive ends June 30, 2008. For referral forms, recruitment tips and tools, prizes and rewards, and bonus gifts, visit the Member-Get-a-Member drive page.
ACM Adds Four New Offerings to Insurance Program
ACM is pleased to announce the addition of four new plans to the ACM Insurance Program. The new offerings are Group 10 or 20 Year Level Term Life Insurance, Long Term Care, and Group Dental Insurance. ACM members living in the US are eligible. Visit the insurance page to learn more about these programs, and all of ACM's Insurance Program plans.
Take Advantage of ACM's Lifetime Membership Plan
ACM Professional Members can enjoy the convenience of making a single payment for their entire tenure as an ACM Member, and also be protected from future price increases by taking advantage of ACM's Lifetime Membership option. Pricing for ACM Lifetime Membership is based on age and current dues rates, and the option to include the ACM Digital Library is also available. ACM Lifetime Membership dues may be tax deductible under certain circumstances (please consult with your tax advisor), so becoming a Lifetime Member can have additional advantages if you act before the end of 2007. Lifetime Members will receive a certificate of recognition suitable for framing, and enjoy all of the benefits of ACM Professional Membership.
Conferences and Events
SIGGRAPH 2008 Goes Interdisciplinary with New Submission Process
SIGGRAPH 2008, scheduled for August 11 to 15, 2008 in Los Angeles, is introducing a new submission process that aims to transcend traditional SIGGRAPH categories (Art Gallery, Courses, Educators, Emerging Technologies, Panels, Posters, The Studio, Sketches) and encourage a richer exchange of ideas across disciplines. The new submission process is designed to save submitters time, eliminate confusion, and afford the best possible jury evaluation, while the new thematically-based categories (such as "Complexity and Accessibility," "Future History," and "Global Responsibility") will give presenters more flexibility in sharing their work. The first submission deadline (for technical papers) is January 23, 2008. For more deadlines and information visit the SIGGRAPH 2008 home page.
IUI 2008 to Explore New Generation of User Interfaces
The International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI) is the principal international forum for reporting outstanding research and development in this field. The conference takes place January 13 to 16, 2008 in the Canary Islands, Spain, and will feature keynote speakers Enrico Motta, Professor in Knowledge Technologies at the Open University, UK, and Theodore W. Berger, David Packard Professor of Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience, University of Southern California. Workshops will cover conversational interfaces, ambient assisted living, ubiquitous user modeling, and more, while technical papers will be presented on topics such as real-time biosignal interfacing, mashups, and the Deep Web.
SIGCSE 2008 to Focus on Underserved Groups in CS Education
SIGCSE, the Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, will look at ways accessibility to Computer Science education can be improved for minorities, women, people with disabilities, non-Western cultures, and any group that is being underserved by the educational system. According to the conference chairs, "accessible computing education results in a more complete, more diverse, and more successful population of future computer science professionals." In addition to the Doctoral Consortium and Student Research Competition, there will be a workshop on setting up a data repository for CS education research. Randy Pausch, Professor of Computer Science, HCI and Design at Carnegie Mellon University; Marissa Mayer, Vice President, Search Products and User Experience at Google; and Ed Lazowska, Bill and Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science and Engineering at University of Washington are the invited speakers. The conference is scheduled for March 12 to 15 in Portland, Oregon.
Public Policy
ACM Forms Committee to Improve Access to Quality CS Education
ACM has created a high-level committee of acclaimed computer scientists and educators to improve opportunities for quality education in computing and Computer Science. Chaired by Bobby Schnabel, dean of the Indiana University School of Informatics, ACM's new Education Policy Committee (EPC) will develop initiatives aimed at shaping national education policies that impact on the computing field. The EPC will initially focus on steps to ensure that Computer Science education is identified as a critical component of education policy in the US at both federal and state levels.
Education
MentorNet: Mentors, Protégés Helping Each Other
ACM recently signed on with MentorNet to promote e-mentoring relationships between professionals (mentors) and students (protégés) in science and technology fields. As a result, ACM Professional members are stepping into the mentor role, and finding the experience rewarding in ways they had not expected.-
From a Mentor:
"I hope that my advice has helped women make better decisions. I try to be a positive force and build their confidence where possible, since I know many women lack self confidence. It has been helpful to me to see what women are going through today, since I do not have any children of my own. Also, since I only work in one area of Computer Science, I can learn about what other areas might be available to women today. I would do it again."
--Charisse Sary, Enforcement, Security, & Intelligence Division, Computer Sciences Corporation
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From a Protégé:
"I had a great experience with MentorNet. I was able to find a mentor that was helpful and cared about learning about me and my goals. She helped me decide definitively on whether my major was the right fit for me by telling me stories about her job and responsibilities. She helped me see the various aspects of her job and how she was able to manage her family and work lives. MentorNet is a wonderful place that is doing extraordinary work bringing professionals and students together. MentorNet and the mentors are helping shape the professionals of the future."
--Shannon McMaster, Student at The University of Texas at Arlington
Student News
MentorNet: Mentors, Protégés Helping Each Other (see story under "Education")
Upcoming ACM Student Research Competitions Call for Submissions
ACM Student Research Competitions take place at ACM-sponsored conferences throughout the year. Students present their papers in poster sessions to compete for the Grand Finals prizes, and network with luminaries from academia and industry. CHI 08 is the next conference accepting submissions. The deadline is January 8, 2008. The deadline for submissions for PLDI 08 is February 8, 2008.
ACM-W Student Scholarships for Attendance at Research Conferences
A program launched by ACM's Committee on Women in Computing (ACM-W) provides support for undergraduate or graduate women students in Computer Science programs who are interested in attending research conferences. It is not required that the student present a paper at the conference she attends. High school students will also be considered for conference support. Initially, up to 12 scholarships of up to $500 each will be awarded annually. ACM-W also encourages the student's home department to match the scholarship award and recognize the student's achievement locally within her department. Applications will be evaluated in four groups each year, in order to distribute awards across a range of conferences, with two to three awards given each quarter. For application form, notification dates and more information, please visit the scholarships page.
Student Volunteers Needed to Help Teach High School CS Teachers
The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) is seeking Computer Science college students proficient in Java and other new programming languages and environments to train high school CS teachers in these technologies. Java Engagement for Teacher Training (JETT) and Teacher Enrichment in Computer Science (TECS) are one- and two-day workshops for high school teachers, hosted by college and university CS students and faculty. Hosting a JETT or TECS workshop is a great volunteer experience for individual student ACM members, as well as student chapters. For more information please contact Gail Chapman, the JETT and TECS workshop coordinator.
Graduating Students Eligible for Special Transition Rate
ACM offers a special ACM Professional Membership for $49 USD (regularly $99) to help graduating students make the transition to professional careers, and take advantage of continuous learning opportunities, including free online books and courses and access to ACM's Career & Job Center. This one-year-only transition rate includes all the benefits of Professional Membership plus the option of purchasing a Digital Library subscription for $50. Recent graduates can access this special transition offer through ACM's convenient online renewal form, or by following the instructions on the paper renewal form.
ACM-W News
ACM-W Call for Nominations: 2008-2009 Athena Lecturer
Athena Lectures celebrate outstanding women researchers who have made fundamental contributions to Computer Science. Each year ACM will honor a preeminent woman computer scientist as the Athena Lecturer. Speakers are nominated by Special Interest Group (SIG) officers. The Athena Lecturer will give a one-hour invited talk at an ACM conference determined by the speaker and the SIG which nominated her. The award includes travel expenses to the meeting and a $1500 honorarium. The deadline for nominations is February 1, 2008. The Athena Lecturer will be announced March 15, 2008, and the Lecture will occur between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. For more information please visit the Athena Lecturer Announcement page.
InWic08 Regional Conference to Support Indiana Women in Computing
InWic08, the latest in a series of regional conferences modeled on the popular Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, will take place January 25 and 26 at the Canyon Inn at McCormicks Creek State Park in Spencer, Indiana. InWic provides a low-cost, local, small conference for women in computing (especially students) who do not have funding to attend major conferences. Like the national Hopper conference, birds-of-a-feather and informal networking sessions, workshops, a keynote lecture, and a career fair will be included. The registration deadline is January 14, and the deadline for paper submissions is January 11.
Publications News
Communications of the ACM's 50th Anniversary Issue Looks to Past and Future
The January 2008 issue of Communications of the ACM will mark the publication's 50th year. To celebrate this milestone, past and current contributors share their recollections, and other prominent voices in computing share their insights about future trends. Also in this issue, Moshe Vardi, CACM's new Editor-in-Chief, outlines new editorial directions for the New Year and beyond. Check the CACM home page in the Digital Library next month to see the articles.
ACM Queue Explores Challenges of Document & Media Exploitation
From laptops to server rooms, users are looking for ways to do more computing with less power. Major improvements have been made in chip architecture, but that’s only part of the equation. Smart application and operating system design can also help. In this article, power-management expert Matthew Garrett shares some tips on how to save power up and down the stack.
ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage Call for Papers
ACM's new Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage (JOCCH) is seeking papers on the use of information and communications technology in support of Cultural Heritage, such as on-site and remotely sensed data collection; metadata, classification schema, ontologies and semantic processing; and intelligent tools for digital reconstruction. Visit the JOCCH Web site for more information.
ACM Seeks Missing SIG Newsletters for Digital Library
ACM is seeking to complete its Digital Library archive of Special Interest Group (SIG) newsletters. (Thanks to all who have contributed so far--we're 98% there!) Please review the spreadsheet of missing SIG newsletter issues and, if you have any of the ones on the list, contact Craig Rodkin with your list and for shipping details. Be sure to let Craig know if you'd like the newsletters returned to you.
ACM in the News
"Faster Chips Are Leaving Programmers in Their Dust"
New York Times, December 17, 2007
Former ACM President David Patterson says, "Industry has basically thrown a Hail Mary. The whole industry is betting on parallel computing. They've thrown it, but the big problem is catching it."
"Chinese Automation Scientist Honored for 'Smart' Ideas"
Xinhua General News Service, December 12, 2007
ACM recently named Fei-Yue Wang a "2007 Distinguished Scientist" for his work in intelligent control and management for "smart" consumer electronics. Wang is the first mainland Chinese scientist to be honored by ACM.
Read more ACM in the News.
Copyright © 2007, ACM, Inc.