ACM MemberNet - Feb 28, 2008
Welcome to the February 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.
Awards
- ACM Turing Award Honors Founders of Automatic Verification Technology
- Young Researcher to Receive Grace Hopper Award for Internet Performance Measurement
- ACM 2007 Software System Award Honors Pioneers of Software Engineering Tool
- Call for ACM Fellows and Advanced Member Level Nominations
Member Benefits - Get More Safari Books Online at Special Member Rates!
- New Online Courses Added to ACM's SkillSoft Collection
- ACM's Career & Job Center: More than Just Jobs
- ACM Member-Get-A-Member Drive
- ACM Adds Four New Offerings to Insurance Program
- Take Advantage of ACM's Lifetime Membership Plan
Conferences and Events - SIGCSE 2008 to Focus on Underserved Groups in CS Education
- SIGCHI 2008 Seeks to Achieve Balance of Art and Science
- Grace Hopper Celebration 2008 Call for Participation
Public Policy - '08 Tech Policy Outlook: Health Privacy and Health IT
Education - MentorNet Celebrates 10 Years of Mentoring
Student News - MentorNet Celebrates 10 Years of Mentoring
- 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 - InWic 2008 Unites Indiana Women in Computing
- ACM-W Ambassador's Report from Australia
Chapters News - Welcome New ACM Chapters
Publications News - interactions Debuts Its Digital Edition
- ACM Queue January/February Issue Focuses on Virtualization Technologies
- ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage Call for Papers
ACM in the News - "Researchers Find Way to Steal Encrypted Data"
- "Berkeley researcher describes parallel path"
- "Can R&D Still Drive the Next Big Thing?"
ACM 2007 Annual Report
ACM's Annual Report for the 2007 Fiscal Year (which appears in the February issue of Communications of the ACM), is a roundup of ACM's initiatives in the areas of Education, Publications, Professional Development, Public Policy, Conferences, Local and Global activties, Awards, and more.
You can also read 2007 Annual Reports of ACM's Boards and Committees here.
Awards
ACM Turing Award Honors Founders of Automatic Verification Technology
ACM has named Edmund M. Clarke, E. Allen Emerson, and Joseph Sifakis the winners of the 2007 A.M. Turing Award, widely considered the most prestigious award in computing, for their original and continuing research in a quality assurance process known as Model Checking. Their innovations transformed this approach from a theoretical technique to a highly effective verification technology that enables computer hardware and software engineers to find errors efficiently in complex system designs. This transformation has resulted in increased assurance that the systems perform as intended by the designers. The Turing Award, named for British mathematician Alan M. Turing, carries a $250,000 prize, with financial support provided by Intel Corporation and Google Inc. Read the press release.
Young Researcher to Receive Grace Hopper Award for Internet Performance Measurement
ACM has recognized Vern Paxson, Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, for his research on how to measure Internet behavior. His innovative techniques are used to assess new communications concepts, improve network performance, and prevent network intrusion. They provide both the research community and Internet operators with the tools to improve the operation of this increasingly diverse, decentralized communications infrastructure. Paxson is also Senior Scientist with the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) Center for Internet Research in Berkeley, CA, and a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He will receive the 2007 Grace Murray Hopper Award from ACM for outstanding young computer professional of the year. The award carries a $35,000 prize, and funding is provided by Google, Inc. Read the press release.
ACM 2007 Software System Award Honors Pioneers of Software Engineering Tool
ACM has recognized the developers of Statemate with the 2007 ACM Software System Award. Statemate is a software engineering tool that supports visual, graphical specifications that represent the intended functions and behavior of a system. It enables designers to specify, then test and execute the required interactions among system elements, allowing costly errors to be detected early in the design process. Statemate was developed by a team at AdCad, Ltd. (which became part of I-Logix, Inc. and later Telelogic) including David Harel, Hagi Lachover, Amnon Naamad, Amir Pnueli, Michal Politi, Rivi Sherman, Aron Trauring, and Mark Trakhtenbrot. The Software System Award is given to an institution or individual(s) recognized for developing software systems that have had a lasting influence, reflected in contributions to concepts and/or commercial acceptance. This award carries a $35,000 prize, and financial support for the award is provided by IBM. Read the press release.
Call for ACM Fellows and Advanced Member Level Nominations
ACM recognizes annually a class of ACM Fellows, our eminent 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 May 31, 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.
Member Benefits
Get More Safari Books Online at Special Member Rates!
In addition to the 600 free Safari Books Online available to ACM Professional members, ACM is now offering members the option to subscribe to two of the larger and more popular collections from Safari at discounted rates. Both the Full Library, including unlimited access (without downloads) to Safari Books Online technology content from leading publishers, and the Premium Collection, including unlimited access (with downloads) to all Safari Books Online technical and business content from top publishers, are available to ACM Professional and Student members at a 20% discount off the list price.
New Online Courses Added to ACM's SkillSoft Collection
The ACM collection of online courses continues to grow. Both ACM Professional and Student memberships now include full and unlimited access to 2,500 online courses from SkillSoft on today's hottest topics in a wide range of subjects in IT and business. For complete course listings, visit the Online Courses Home Page.
ACM's Career & Job Center: More than Just Jobs
Many job seekers and employers are 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 3,000 employers have registered with Job Target, the service with which ACM has partnered, while more than 500 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.
ACM Member-Get-A-Member Drive
ACM's 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). Lifetime Members will receive a certificate of recognition suitable for framing, and enjoy all of the benefits of ACM Professional Membership.
Conferences and Events
SIGCSE 2008 to Focus on Underserved Groups in CS Education
SIGCSE, the Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, will look at ways to improve accessibility to Computer Science education for minorities, women, people with disabilities, non-Western cultures, and any group that is being underserved by the US 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. Registration is now open.
SIGCHI 2008 Seeks to Achieve Balance of Art and Science
Each year the SIGCHI conference draws together engineers, designers, educators, and many others concerned with interaction design. The panels, papers and courses will cover such topics as "Beyond End-User Programming," "3D User Interfaces: from Lab to Living Room," and "Keeping the Web in Web 2.0." The conference, sponsored by ACM SIGCHI, takes place April 5 to 10 in Florence, Italy. Registration is now open, and early bird registration ends February 10.
Grace Hopper Celebration 2008 Call for Participation
Submissions are now being accepted for the eighth Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference being held October 1 to 4 at the Keystone Resort near Denver, Colorado. As the world's largest gathering of women in computing, the Grace Hopper Celebration is designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Presenters are leaders in their respective fields, and leading researchers present their work, while special sessions focus on the role of women in today's technology fields. The technical conference features well-known speakers, and includes panels, workshops, new investigator technical papers, PhD forums, technical posters, birds of a feather sessions (BOFs), the ACM Student Research Competition and an awards celebration. This year's theme, "We Build a Better World," recognizes the significant role women play in creating and utilizing technology to improve our world. Submissions on this theme are encouraged. The deadline for all submissions is March 16. Please visit the Call for Participation page for more information.
Public Policy
'08 Tech Policy Outlook: Health Privacy and Health IT
Over the last few years, policy officials have tried repeatedly to encourage the adoption of health information technology, but efforts have stalled in Congress. The most recent health legislation—HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Acountability Act—has prompted criticism from some that the bill overregulates, and from others that it puts health privacy at risk. Two new congressional bills have attracted the attention of interested groups. The Wired Act, sponsored by Senator Kennedy (D-MA), focuses on health information technology. The TRUST (Technologies for Restoring Users' Security and Trust) in Health Information Act, introduced Representative Markey (D-MA), emphasizes privacy principles which reflect the general provisions in the USACM Privacy Policy. Read more by USACM Public Policy Analyst David Bruggeman in the technology policy blog.
Education
MentorNet Celebrates 10 Years of Mentoring
ACM's partnership with MentorNet to promote e-mentoring relationships between professionals (mentors) and students (protégés) in science and technology fields is eight months old, but MentorNet has been in existence for 10 years. Read some fun facts about this very worthwhile and rewarding organization, and new initiatives including MentorNet's 10th Anniversary Talent for Tomorrow Drive.
Student News
MentorNet Celebrates 10 Years of Mentoring (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. PLDI 08 is the next conference accepting submissions. The deadline for submissions for PLDI 08 is March 15, 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
InWic 2008 Unites Indiana Women in Computing
For two days in late January, nearly 100 women attended the third Indiana Celebration of Women in Computing (InWic 2008). Similar to other regional conferences supported by ACM-W, InWic is modeled after the popular national Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. InWic emphasized increased program participation and networking by student attendees, and low-budget planning and minimal time expenditure for organizers. Students gave poster presentations of their research. Raquel Hill of Indiana University at Bloomington provided the keynote address. While students attended birds-of-a feather discussions, faculty members participated in a retention workshop led by J. McGrath Cohoon (National Center of Women & IT). On the second day, sessions included a robot workshop, student research presentations, a career workshop, a technical talk about digital imaging and an outreach session. The conference concluded with a career fair featuring several Indiana government and industry representatives. "We wish to eliminate isolation by lacing together small pockets of scattered Indiana women for a strong alliance, support and encouragement," said co-organizer Gloria Childress Townsend of DePauw University. "The vision lies in completely covering a map of the United States with small regional conferences, so that no young woman is left out of opportunities for support and encouragement." For information and a complete "how-to" book, write Gloria at [email protected].
ACM-W Ambassador's Report from Australia
Each month one of the ACM-W's Ambassadors gives an update on news and trends of women in computing in their part of the world on ACM-W's News Blog. This month, Australian Ambassador Catherine Lang presents a brief overview of two major projects that she is involved with: Digital Divas, a computer club for girls concept, and Go Girl Go for IT, a large career showcase event.
Chapters News
Welcome New ACM Chapters
Chapters are the "local neighborhoods" of ACM. The regional ACM Professional, Student, ACM-W, and Special Interest Group (SIG) chapters around the globe involve members locally in competitions, seminars, lectures, workshops, and networking opportunities. ACM welcomes these new chapters that have been chartered since October 2007:
ACM Student Chapters:- American University in Bulgaria
- BITS Pilani-Goa Campus, Goa, India
- BITS Pilani-Rajasthan, Rajasthan, India
- British University/Egypt, El-Shourok City, Egypt
- Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
- Fordham University, New York
- Ivy Tech Lafayette, Indiana
- Lebanese American University-Byblos
- Morehead State University, Kentucky
- Tennessee State University, Nashville
- Vidya Jyothi Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India
- Washington State University, Pulman
- University of Georgia, Athens (ACM-W Student Chapter)
Publications News
interactions Debuts Its Digital Edition
With the January/February 2008 issue, interactions, ACM's magazine for professionals interested in the connections between experiences, people and technology, joins Communications of the ACM in offering a new digital format edition. The digital version enables readers to browse, search, link to and share articles.
ACM Queue January/February Issue Focuses on Virtualization Technologies
While virtualization isn't new, the technology has evolved beyond its original use in time-sharing applications and, more recently, server consolidation. Tom Killalea of Amazon.com kicks things off with "Meet the Virts", his overview of the virtualization landscape. Check ACM Queue during March for more articles on this quickly evolving technology.
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 in the News
"Researchers Find Way to Steal Encrypted Data"
The New York Times, February 22, 2008
Simple method for stealing encrypted information stored on computer hard disks by freezing dynamic random access memory chips is example of "how things aren't quite what they seem when people tell you things are secure," according to Inside RISKS editor and USACM Committee member Peter Neumann.
"Berkeley researcher describes parallel path"
EE Times, February 21, 2008
ACM Past President David Patterson outlines plans for defining a new parallel programming model for mainstream computing, and a new Parallel Computing Lab that he will head.
"Can R&D Still Drive the Next Big Thing?"
ThomasNet, February 19, 2008
USACM's December blog entry on R&D funding cited.
Read more ACM in the News.
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